---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like writing dialogue - I can hear my…"
description: "\"I like writing dialogue - I can hear my characters so clearly that writing dialogue often feels as much like transcribing something as it does like cre..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/lauren-grodstein-33654_character_i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-ch_931938.jpg"
---

#  I like writing dialogue - I can hear my characters so…

![“I like writing dialogue - I can hear my characters so clearly that writing dialogue often feels as much like transcribing something as it does like creating it.” quote by Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/lauren-grodstein-33654_character_i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-ch_931938.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/lauren-grodstein-33654_character_i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-ch_931938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/lauren-grodstein-33654_character_i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-ch_931938.jpg)

> “I like writing dialogue - I can hear my characters so clearly that writing dialogue often feels as much like transcribing something as it does like creating it.”

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing dialogue feels like transcribing inner voices, blurring creation and recording.

**In simple terms:** Dialogue writing is listening to characters internally.

Key Takeaway

Listen closely to your characters' inner speech.

Themes

writing dialogue creativity

Mood

introspective creative

Type

literary instructional

When to use this quote

- novel drafting
- screenplay writing
- character workshops
- improvisation exercises

Key Concepts

literature cognitive empathy voice development

Questions to Reflect On

- How does hearing your character change the story?
- When does dialogue become exposition?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on internal monologue may stifle plot movement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Dialogue Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue-feels-1525274/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Like Transcribing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-transcribing-1525275/) [Like Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-writing/) [Transcribing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcribing-193683/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-dialogue/)

## Related quotes

> [For all forms, writing dialogue is almost like writing music. I pay close attention to rhythms and tones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/for-all-forms-writing-dialogue-is-almost-like-writing-music-i-pay/)

[Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/)

> [As an actor going into screenwriting, I was able to understand what type of dialogue feels natural. A lot of the time, as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis-daley/as-an-actor-going-into-screenwriting-i-was-able-to-understand-what/)

[John Francis Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-francis-daley/)

> [Once you see the entertainment world from both sides, you really get a greater understanding of how it all operates. As an actor going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis-daley/once-you-see-the-entertainment-world-from-both-sides-you-really-get-a/)

[John Francis Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-francis-daley/)

> [Writing dialogue is like writing a song, which I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-azzarello/writing-dialogue-is-like-writing-a-song-which-i-ve-done/)

[Brian Azzarello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-azzarello/)

> [Readers take in dialogue one thought at a time. A frequent mistake of beginners is to combine thoughts, which may be suitable for other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/readers-take-in-dialogue-one-thought-at-a-time-a-frequent-mistake-of/)

[Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/)

> [If there's anything I'm keen to get better at in my writing, then it's the writing of prose as opposed to the writing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/if-there-s-anything-i-m-keen-to-get-better-at-in-my-writing-then-it-s/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [There's a point I can get to where I start writing character and then through the dialogue, after all of this preparation, the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/there-s-a-point-i-can-get-to-where-i-start-writing-character-and-then/)

[Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/)

> [I am transcribing a book that I have, in a sense, not yet written, and in another sense, have always written, and in another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/i-am-transcribing-a-book-that-i-have-in-a-sense-not-yet-written-and/)

[Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/)

> [Joel Chandler Harris, who created a multi billion dollar industry, everything from his books, to Disney's "Song of the South" based upon the Uncle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/joel-chandler-harris-who-created-a-multi-billion-dollar-industry/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [What was evident was that Mozart was simply transcribing music completely finished in his head. And finished as most music is never finished. Displace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/what-was-evident-was-that-mozart-was-simply-transcribing-music/)

[Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/)

> [I learned by transcribing songs out of the Library of Congress collection in Washington where I was working. I got a job when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/i-learned-by-transcribing-songs-out-of-the-library-of-congress/)

[Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/)

> [I've always considered transcribing to be an invaluable tool in the development of one's musical ear and, over the years, I have spent countless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-vai/i-ve-always-considered-transcribing-to-be-an-invaluable-tool-in-the/)

[Steve Vai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-vai/)

> [I can barely listen to my tapes when I'm transcribing, because I can't stand how I sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/i-can-barely-listen-to-my-tapes-when-i-m-transcribing-because-i-can-t/)

[Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/)

> [The Gospels were not thought of as works of literature. People were not concerned with the literary reputation of Matthew or Mark, but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-g-kenyon/the-gospels-were-not-thought-of-as-works-of-literature-people-were/)

[Frederic G. Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-g-kenyon/)

> [In the transcribing and the editing, you want some retention of how the person speaks - you don't want to edit out all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/in-the-transcribing-and-the-editing-you-want-some-retention-of-how/)

[Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/)

## More by Lauren Grodstein

> [I wish I were better at straightforward description. I feel like I'm usually overdoing it or underdoing it, and it takes a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-wish-i-were-better-at-straightforward-description-i-feel-like-i-m/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [“Your world is the world of coincidence, of meaninglessness. You choose the world that would have us as specks of dust, as mice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/your-world-is-the-world-of-coincidence-of-meaninglessness-you-choose/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [“But who says you get to be ready? Who says you get to take someone's heart and eat it and then decide you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/but-who-says-you-get-to-be-ready-who-says-you-get-to-take-someone-s/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [I'm inspired by people who are really deliberate and careful with their lives, and people who are kind. And of course I'm inspired by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-m-inspired-by-people-who-are-really-deliberate-and-careful-with/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [I've found a bit of success in my career, and I'm very relieved by it, but the success that comes after a book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-ve-found-a-bit-of-success-in-my-career-and-i-m-very-relieved-by-it/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [I write with the idea that nobody will care about what I've written; I publish with the idea that nobody will care either. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-write-with-the-idea-that-nobody-will-care-about-what-i-ve-written-i/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [“returned to his drunken mice, dreaming their placid, inebriated dreams. He reached in and scratched one on the nose; like a bum, or one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/returned-to-his-drunken-mice-dreaming-their-placid-inebriated-dreams/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [A beloved student of mine told me she believed the earth was approximately 6,000 years old. She was smart, she was thoughtful, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/a-beloved-student-of-mine-told-me-she-believed-the-earth-was/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [“Life really does go on. That's what I've learned. It goes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/life-really-does-go-on-that-s-what-i-ve-learned-it-goes/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [Some people need God and some people need science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/some-people-need-god-and-some-people-need-science/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [I hate the word juicy in describing anything: lips, plots, oranges. But especially novels. It feels - icky. Reminds me of saliva.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-hate-the-word-juicy-in-describing-anything-lips-plots-oranges-but/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [“Three months after Rachel was born, Lou admitted smuggling her into church. “It wasn’t my fault,” she said, after she’d confessed. “I was compelled.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/three-months-after-rachel-was-born-lou-admitted-smuggling-her-into/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [The worst thing that's ever happened to you is not the worst thing that's ever happened to anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/the-worst-thing-that-s-ever-happened-to-you-is-not-the-worst-thing/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

[Explore all 14 Lauren Grodstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I like writing dialogue - I can hear my characters so clearly that writing dialogue often feels as much like transcribing something as it does like creating it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lauren Grodstein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-characters-so-clearly-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-characters-so-clearly-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/lauren-grodstein-33654_character_i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-ch_931938.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/lauren-grodstein-33654_character_i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-ch_931938.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9b/lauren-grodstein-33654_character_i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-ch_931938.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I like writing dialogue - I can hear my characters so clearly that writing dialogue often feels as much like…” — Lauren Grodstein",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Lauren Grodstein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I like writing dialogue - I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-characters-so-clearly-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-like-writing-dialogue-i-can-hear-my-characters-so-clearly-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
