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When you're creating your main character at some point you need to decide if he's a talker, a non-talker or somewhere in the middle.
If he's a talker, make sure what he says is smart, funny, clever and interesting. If he's a non-talker, make sure he speaks with the sparseness of a David Mamet character which means he shouldn't say much at all, which means there's lots of subtext, which means you'd better those the words he says very carefully.
If you're character's somewhere in the middle--which is where most characters (as in life) are--he won't be the glibbest guy in the world, nor will he be non-talkative, super cool, distake and ultra-focused. He'll say too much sometimes and other times not enough. He'll be awkward, shy and hesitant.
The first step to writing great dialogue is to make sure you know how much your character will use the words you write for him.
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