
Overheard in the stands at a ballgame: overdressed lady asks for a hot dog “with the works.” Vendor replies, “Lady, this is Yankee Stadium. You get a hot dog, a bun, and some mustard. That’s the works.”
And that’s how you learn to write dialogue. You listen.
Yes, there are a thousand ways to write bad dialogue. It’s a shame we encounter them in books we’ve paid for.