Use fewer pronouns
With two or more people, “he said” swaps speakers. In the library and in the action, the subject is the name.
Give each side character one line nobody else would say.
Write where they are
Who is standing, who has left, who is not in the room yet. Without a place, the next chapter teleports people to wherever speech is convenient.
If someone leaves, write that they left.
Fewer people
Hold the main character first. Then add one or two named people. Names and places fail first when the room is crowded.
Someone offstage should be marked “not in the room”, or the next line walks them back in.
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