| Dialogue Tips Say what?? |
| Why a separate page for dialogue tips? Because, in my opinion, dialogue is the most important element of a novel. Will I say the same thing about characterization later? Probably. Okay. Characterization is the most important element of a novel. In my opinion. What those characters say to each other and how they say it are the two most important elements of characterization. How's that? |
Good dialogue leads to good fiction. Ask a group of readers if they prefer
more dialogue in a story or more introspection and description. Half the group
will prefer the one, half the other. We must always strive for that balance when
we write stories. But, keep in mind, characters can perform a great deal of the
describing, the scene imaging, the showing, if we let them. Dialogue keeps the
story moving, keeps the reader glued to the page. If a character can show the
reader something, let her do it. Avoid the need to tell the reader yourself if
your character can show her.
One good way to practice writing dialogue—to think about hearing the
dialogue in your mind, getting a feel for how it flows back and forth—is to turn
your recliner away from the TV as the show or movie is playing. Just listen to
the audio, to the dialogue and interaction between the characters. There will be
all the other dramatical stuff too, like background music playing and dogs
barking and all that, but listen to how human voices flow, how we break and
stutter when we speak, how our voices rise and fall, how we pause, breathe,
say um and uh, etc. Listen for the drama in dialogue. We swallow, we growl,
we smile, we mumble. Rent a movie you've never seen and listen only to the
audio, then watch the movie afterward to see if anything compares to what you
saw in your mind's eye as you listened. As you write your novel, remember
how people talk, include the breaks and pauses, the smiles and deep breaths.
Use ellipses (sparingly) when words trail off, or when characters pause briefly
between words. But also remember moderation and balance. Don't overdo any
one detail when writing or describing your character's conversations.
Dialogue attributions (or tags) are essential to prevent readers from losing
track of who said what. Whatever you can do as a writer to eliminate confusion
in your novel, DO IT. Make sure the tag you are using really is a dialogue tag
(really is how someone can speak words). Words that show action are action
beats used in dialogue and are not the same as dialogue tags. Action beats are
not part of the quote. Do not say, "That's what you think," he smiled. To smile
is to perform an action. We cannot smile a word, but we can say a word as we
smile: "That's what you think," he said with a smile. Dialogue tags describe
who said what and how the words were spoken. Stick with the universal and
invisible tags "he said," "she said." Avoid using words like explained,
complained, protested, remarked, puzzled, questioned, etc. (For a running list
of words you should avoid using as dialogue tags, and why, click here.)
Also, avoid using an -ly adverb to describe how something was said,
especially adverbs such as sarcastically, determinedly, dramatically, and
hesitantly, etc.
When should you use a dialogue tag or an action beat, and when should you
not? Try to prioritize when structuring your dialogue. First, if there is not any
confusion about who just said what, then don't use either a dialogue tag or an
action beat. They just aren't necessary. If the character is doing something as he
or she is speaking and it's worthy of sharing it with the readers, use it as an
action beat. Action always helps your readers feel as if they are there, actively
engaged in that moment of the story.
Second, if there is confusion about who just said what, use an action beat first.
Only use a dialogue tag if you find you've been overusing action beats.
Sometimes our dialogue can become choppy and tedious if we do overuse
them. So go with a dialogue tag. But vary the structure of your sentences to
keep your dialogue flowing naturally. Insert dialogue tags and action beats
where natural pauses occur. And keep in mind that dialogue tags are part of the
same sentence as what has been said. Action beats are not. They are always in
their own sentence.
Constantly ask yourself as you write dialogue, "Is this the way my characters
would talk to each other? Do guys really talk like this? Do most women? Is
what they're saying important to the story? Does it move the story forward or
slow it down? Is the way my characters talk original to them, or do they all
sound just like me? Do all of my characters sound the same?"
I think readers automatically assume different characters have different voices
and, in their mind's ear, hear that difference when they read dialogue. They
don't need to be constantly reminded of a character's high-pitched voice, or of
her speech impediment, or of her accent. Are these extra details really
necessary in the first place? If so, use gentle reminders in dialogue. Don't nag
your poor readers with details. Let their mind's ear do what it does
automatically; don't slow down your story with unnecessary description.
Always remember to begin a new paragraph when a new character speaks.
This is an unbreakable rule of writing dialogue. This also includes when a new
character thinks. Do not have two different characters speaking and/or thinking
in the same paragraph. Readers understand this is an unbreakable rule for
novelists, so when they read a story by a novelist who breaks this rule, they are
tripped up by it time and again. As a novelist, the dialogue you write must flow
smoothly, and to accomplish that you must eliminate even the faintest hint or
possibility of confusion tripping up your reader's journey through your story.
Not long ago, I read a very popular author's first novel and was amazed at how
many times the author broke this simple rule—how many times it tripped me
up, how many times I had to back up in the dialogue to figure out who was
saying what. Remember, there are rules in writing fiction that should never be
broken. And this rule is one of them.
Introspection in a novel is when a character examines her inward-most
thoughts and struggles about herself and her life and shares these thoughts with
the reader. Technically, in a novel written in third-person point of view, the
character doesn't know the reader is listening in. In most cases, when
introspection is allowed to carry on too far, I get the feeling, as a reader, that if
the character knew I was there listening, she would be shocked with
embarrassment. Sometimes, as a reader, I feel bad that the author drags her
character (and me) through so much introspection. Yes, we all have inner
struggles, doubts, and questions about our lives, but too much revealed is never
a good thing. Sometimes more can be shown to the reader by simply having the
character stand at a window and then draw in a long, deep sigh. It isn't always
necessary to share every inner thought your character thinks with the entire
world. When I read a story where introspection has been overdone, I
sometimes feel sorry for God. He has to deal with overdone introspection in
His "characters" all day long, every single day!
Be sure to read your novel aloud to yourself at least fifty times before
considering it finished. Okay, maybe five times. If someone close to you is
willing to read it aloud so you can listen, that is even better. It is one thing to
hear your story in your mind's ear as you are writing it, but it is quite another to
hear your story with the ears on the sides of your head after your story has been
written. Dialogue cannot be written properly unless it is heard by the writer.
And also keep in mind how quickly readers read. Rarely will a reader read
your dialogue at the same pace your characters spoke it into your mind's ear.
Readers cannot help themselves, and that's a good thing. We want them to be so
compelled by our story that they devour pages in a blinding frenzy. If you take
the time to read your work aloud at least five times, you'll be prepared for any
type of reader, no matter how quickly he or she devours your work.
more dialogue in a story or more introspection and description. Half the group
will prefer the one, half the other. We must always strive for that balance when
we write stories. But, keep in mind, characters can perform a great deal of the
describing, the scene imaging, the showing, if we let them. Dialogue keeps the
story moving, keeps the reader glued to the page. If a character can show the
reader something, let her do it. Avoid the need to tell the reader yourself if
your character can show her.
One good way to practice writing dialogue—to think about hearing the
dialogue in your mind, getting a feel for how it flows back and forth—is to turn
your recliner away from the TV as the show or movie is playing. Just listen to
the audio, to the dialogue and interaction between the characters. There will be
all the other dramatical stuff too, like background music playing and dogs
barking and all that, but listen to how human voices flow, how we break and
stutter when we speak, how our voices rise and fall, how we pause, breathe,
say um and uh, etc. Listen for the drama in dialogue. We swallow, we growl,
we smile, we mumble. Rent a movie you've never seen and listen only to the
audio, then watch the movie afterward to see if anything compares to what you
saw in your mind's eye as you listened. As you write your novel, remember
how people talk, include the breaks and pauses, the smiles and deep breaths.
Use ellipses (sparingly) when words trail off, or when characters pause briefly
between words. But also remember moderation and balance. Don't overdo any
one detail when writing or describing your character's conversations.
Dialogue attributions (or tags) are essential to prevent readers from losing
track of who said what. Whatever you can do as a writer to eliminate confusion
in your novel, DO IT. Make sure the tag you are using really is a dialogue tag
(really is how someone can speak words). Words that show action are action
beats used in dialogue and are not the same as dialogue tags. Action beats are
not part of the quote. Do not say, "That's what you think," he smiled. To smile
is to perform an action. We cannot smile a word, but we can say a word as we
smile: "That's what you think," he said with a smile. Dialogue tags describe
who said what and how the words were spoken. Stick with the universal and
invisible tags "he said," "she said." Avoid using words like explained,
complained, protested, remarked, puzzled, questioned, etc. (For a running list
of words you should avoid using as dialogue tags, and why, click here.)
Also, avoid using an -ly adverb to describe how something was said,
especially adverbs such as sarcastically, determinedly, dramatically, and
hesitantly, etc.
When should you use a dialogue tag or an action beat, and when should you
not? Try to prioritize when structuring your dialogue. First, if there is not any
confusion about who just said what, then don't use either a dialogue tag or an
action beat. They just aren't necessary. If the character is doing something as he
or she is speaking and it's worthy of sharing it with the readers, use it as an
action beat. Action always helps your readers feel as if they are there, actively
engaged in that moment of the story.
Second, if there is confusion about who just said what, use an action beat first.
Only use a dialogue tag if you find you've been overusing action beats.
Sometimes our dialogue can become choppy and tedious if we do overuse
them. So go with a dialogue tag. But vary the structure of your sentences to
keep your dialogue flowing naturally. Insert dialogue tags and action beats
where natural pauses occur. And keep in mind that dialogue tags are part of the
same sentence as what has been said. Action beats are not. They are always in
their own sentence.
Constantly ask yourself as you write dialogue, "Is this the way my characters
would talk to each other? Do guys really talk like this? Do most women? Is
what they're saying important to the story? Does it move the story forward or
slow it down? Is the way my characters talk original to them, or do they all
sound just like me? Do all of my characters sound the same?"
I think readers automatically assume different characters have different voices
and, in their mind's ear, hear that difference when they read dialogue. They
don't need to be constantly reminded of a character's high-pitched voice, or of
her speech impediment, or of her accent. Are these extra details really
necessary in the first place? If so, use gentle reminders in dialogue. Don't nag
your poor readers with details. Let their mind's ear do what it does
automatically; don't slow down your story with unnecessary description.
Always remember to begin a new paragraph when a new character speaks.
This is an unbreakable rule of writing dialogue. This also includes when a new
character thinks. Do not have two different characters speaking and/or thinking
in the same paragraph. Readers understand this is an unbreakable rule for
novelists, so when they read a story by a novelist who breaks this rule, they are
tripped up by it time and again. As a novelist, the dialogue you write must flow
smoothly, and to accomplish that you must eliminate even the faintest hint or
possibility of confusion tripping up your reader's journey through your story.
Not long ago, I read a very popular author's first novel and was amazed at how
many times the author broke this simple rule—how many times it tripped me
up, how many times I had to back up in the dialogue to figure out who was
saying what. Remember, there are rules in writing fiction that should never be
broken. And this rule is one of them.
Introspection in a novel is when a character examines her inward-most
thoughts and struggles about herself and her life and shares these thoughts with
the reader. Technically, in a novel written in third-person point of view, the
character doesn't know the reader is listening in. In most cases, when
introspection is allowed to carry on too far, I get the feeling, as a reader, that if
the character knew I was there listening, she would be shocked with
embarrassment. Sometimes, as a reader, I feel bad that the author drags her
character (and me) through so much introspection. Yes, we all have inner
struggles, doubts, and questions about our lives, but too much revealed is never
a good thing. Sometimes more can be shown to the reader by simply having the
character stand at a window and then draw in a long, deep sigh. It isn't always
necessary to share every inner thought your character thinks with the entire
world. When I read a story where introspection has been overdone, I
sometimes feel sorry for God. He has to deal with overdone introspection in
His "characters" all day long, every single day!
Be sure to read your novel aloud to yourself at least fifty times before
considering it finished. Okay, maybe five times. If someone close to you is
willing to read it aloud so you can listen, that is even better. It is one thing to
hear your story in your mind's ear as you are writing it, but it is quite another to
hear your story with the ears on the sides of your head after your story has been
written. Dialogue cannot be written properly unless it is heard by the writer.
And also keep in mind how quickly readers read. Rarely will a reader read
your dialogue at the same pace your characters spoke it into your mind's ear.
Readers cannot help themselves, and that's a good thing. We want them to be so
compelled by our story that they devour pages in a blinding frenzy. If you take
the time to read your work aloud at least five times, you'll be prepared for any
type of reader, no matter how quickly he or she devours your work.
| I guess our greatest hope as novelists is that no reader would develop indigestion from devouring our work! |
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| John 18:33-38 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are you a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all." |
| Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to keep silence, And a time to speak. |
| Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.'" |