When you're writing dialogue—one of the hardest things to write for many—it's easy to fall into unrealistic text to help readers follow a conversation.
Weird dialogue tags. Bad jargon. Overused accents.
These are all common risks.
But let's focus on one thing here: name calling.
"Jack, I know all that."
"I don't like that, Bill."
"That's not what I said, Matthew."
Honestly, how often do you talk like that? How often do you include the name of the person you're talking to when you talk to them?
Probably not that often unless you've got a serious point to make. And, you likely wouldn't do it more than once in a conversation.
There are plenty of ways for you to help people figure out who is part of the conversation. Add some action. Give folks some body language. Make sure everyone has their own talking style.
Make sure your audience knows who's part of a conversation, but don't do it by repeating their name in dialogue over and over again.
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