# Dialogue > Spoken lines under a character cue. In Plot, a dialogue pass proposes changes, mostly to the spoken lines, that you accept or reject one at a time. Also known as spoken lines **On the page** ``` We start here. Right where it ends. ``` ## In practice Readers judge voice within a few pages. Lines that explain the plot out loud, repeat what action already showed, or sound identical across characters are the usual repair targets before a table read. Distinct diction and subtext do more selling than clever synonyms for "says the theme." A dialogue pass in Plot proposes changes, mostly to the spoken lines, that you accept or reject one at a time; a suggestion that touches the surrounding action lands only if you accept it too. That matches how rooms actually revise: protect the staging you chose, pressure the spoken line until it earns its space on the page. On the page, length is a pacing instrument. Long speeches need a reason — power, confession, comedy — or they stall a cold read. Interruptions, unfinished thoughts, and silence (as short action) often play truer than perfectly grammatical paragraphs that no person would finish in a fight. ## See it formatted - [How to format dual dialogue in a screenplay](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/screenplay-formatting/dual-dialogue-and-overlapping-dialogue): Format two characters speaking at once, create dual dialogue in Inkwell Plot or Final Draft, and decide when an interruption works better as stacked dialogue. - [How to format foreign-language dialogue and subtitles](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/screenplay-formatting/foreign-language-dialogue-and-subtitles): Tell the reader what language is spoken and whether the audience understands it, then write the readable translation without repeating the instruction on every line. - [How to format song lyrics in a screenplay](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/screenplay-formatting/songs-and-lyrics): Set sung lines apart from speech — italics or all caps, one lyric line per line — and quote only the lyrics the scene actually needs. ## Common questions ### How is dialogue different from a parenthetical? Dialogue is what is said. A parenthetical is a brief delivery or action note inside the dialogue block — used sparingly so the page does not become a performance script for the actor. ### Can Inkwell rewrite my dialogue for me? A Dialogue pass can propose tighter lines as reviewable markup. Nothing lands until you accept it — you stay the author of every kept line in the draft. ### Should dialect be written phonetically? Usually lightly or not at all. Heavy phonetic spelling slows readers and can tip into caricature. Suggest rhythm with word choice and occasional clipped grammar; trust actors with accent work. ### How do I show interruption on the page? End the interrupted line with a dash or cut mid-word when that is the beat, and let the next cue take over. Avoid stagey parentheticals like (interrupting) when the cut itself already shows the collision. ## Related terms - [Character cue](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/character-cue): The speaker’s name above a dialogue block, conventionally in uppercase — the label that tells the reader who is talking. - [Parenthetical](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/parenthetical): A short note in parentheses inside a dialogue block — how a line is delivered or a small action during it, e.g. (whispering). Use sparingly. - [Dialogue pass](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/dialogue-pass): A skill that proposes line-level dialogue improvements — tightening, rhythm, voice consistency — as inline markup you accept or reject one line at a time. - [Table read](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/table-read): Actors reading the script aloud around a table — no cameras, minimal blocking — to hear pace, jokes, and confusion before you lock a draft. --- Canonical page: