Characterization at Its Best
 
 Writers—the good ones anyway—are keen observers of human nature and they capture it in their characters and storytelling. They show the behaviors, the thought processes, and the ways people make meaning out of their experiences and events and turn these into provoking entertainment. ~Darian Smith
 
In order to write realistic dialogue, both inner and outer, one needs to understand how and why humans think, feel, and behave as they do.
Realistic characters have pasts that shape their way of being and thinking, therefore behaving. They have strengths, weaknesses, and personality problems. They engage in internal monologues about themselves, their relationships, and the world around them.
 
To build authentic characters, the writer builds and transforms their characters by taking into consideration their psychology, age, gender, and the surrounding that shape their behavior. By observing real-life people who may resemble the characters you are creating, by studying their responses both verbal and nonverbal, you breathe life into them with the words you choose.

I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.
~ Stephen King
 
Read, Observe, Write!
 
Enjoy!
  Jasmyne