It's Monday, so it must be...dialogue! (I know that last Monday's post was on dialogue too - maybe I start the week in chatty mode.)
When you're working on a passage of dialogue, it might be helpful to remember that it's not just what your characters are saying, but how they are saying it which is important and by this I don't mean he said sleepily / she giggled / he sighed...
With accurate, well-honed dialogue, it should be possible to identify which character is speaking without any kind of attribution at all, just from the way their thoughts are phrased and expressed and from the words they have chosen. To help you develop this muscle, try thinking about your characters' vocal mannerisms -- their little sayings, their use of repetition; if you are writing a historical novel, you could try throwing in the (very) occasional archaism, although be careful, because these can quickly become irritating.
By making each person's speech as individual to them as possible, you will make the dialogue more realistic but you will also help to define their character more clearly. The whole process is organic anyway, but this is a handy way to add colour and authenticity to what is spoken and if that is convincingly done it will leach into other areas of your work as well.
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