Learning to People Watch

A lot of writers have problems with dialogue. On one hand, you've got the writers that tend to have everything exactly the way they need it, and but in real life it would be a really boring conversation; while the dialogue is moving the plot along it just lacks anything of real interest. Then you have all these people who do all these ridiculously fluff things; the conversation may be great for helping you understand the characters but nothing is really being said. 

You need to find a nice happy medium that is unique. The best dialogue will move the plot and build the characters. But the problem is making it sound like two people are actually having a conversation.

To really appreciate how dialogue works you need to go out and actually watch people talk. You need to go to sporting events, cafes, even parks, and just sit back and watch people do what they do. You need to listen to for more than just their accents, but their slang and jargon, and how they're doing it. You also need to see which gestures they are using and even how they're facing each other. 

It's a lot of stuff to get down. But you're going find that the more you do this, the better your dialogue are  going to sound. You're also going to be able to hit that really great medium between what the story needs and that little bit of extra fluff that you need to sound real. Of course, you also need to learn how to watch people so you don't get arrested or even a stern talking to by security, but for now just go out and watch people have a little bit of fun with it. By studying people actually talking your dialogue can only get better,allowing your conversations to move the plot and build characters.