By Arthur Xiao, maker of AddSpeechBubble.

  • Choose a small situation: a missed train, a borrowed umbrella, or a surprise birthday cake.
  • Give each speaker a different goal. One wants information; the other wants to avoid spoiling the surprise.
  • Write the whole exchange as plain text first.
  • Delete greetings and repeated explanations that do not advance the scene.
  • Read the dialogue aloud. Change words that sound unlike the character.
  • Check that the reader can tell who speaks first.
  • Use invented names and clearly label the image as fiction.
  • Avoid putting real phone numbers or private conversations in a public example.
  • Export a readable image, then keep the text version for people who prefer it.
  • If using a phone layout, try my fictional chat-image tool: free PNG, no signup, no watermark. Video export is Pro.
  • If facial expressions matter, try my comic strip maker: up to six free panels.
  • Final revision prompt: can the last line change the meaning of the first without explaining the joke?
nov 4 2026 ∞
nov 4 2026 +