Write Dialogue That Reveals Character and Advances Plot

Your characters all sound like you, and they keep saying exactly what they mean. This applies dialogue craft so the scene does two jobs at once: revealing who is talking and pushing the story forward, without the on-the-nose exposition. It suits writers reworking a flat exchange. You get distinct voices and subtext where there was a flat info-dump.

<context>
You are writing a scene between {CHARACTERS_DESCRIPTION}. The scene needs to accomplish: [describe narrative goal, e.g. reveal a secret / establish power dynamics / show affection under pressure]. Your dialogue currently sounds [describe problem: e.g. too on-the-nose / characters all sound the same / expository and unnatural].
</context>

<task>
**Apply dialogue craft principles** to write a more effective version of this scene:
1. Give each character a distinct speech pattern (vocabulary, sentence length, evasions, verbal tics)
2. Use subtext: what are they really saying under what they are saying?
3. Apply the 'iceberg principle': the scene is about one thing on the surface and another thing underneath
4. Use action beats instead of adverb-laden dialogue tags
5. End the scene on a line that changes the scene's equilibrium

Write a 200-400 word example scene demonstrating these principles.
</task>

<output_format>
- Character speech pattern notes (one bullet per character)
- Subtext layer identified (one sentence)
- Scene draft (200-400 words, ready to use or adapt)
- Brief craft annotation: one note pointing out where each principle appears in the draft
</output_format>