{"id":1499,"date":"2019-10-25T21:26:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T20:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/?p=1499"},"modified":"2019-11-05T15:12:01","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T15:12:01","slug":"write-good-dialogue-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/write-good-dialogue-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write Good Dialogue and Why It Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dialogue. It\u2019s an indispensable part of every story, and one of the most important literary devices in an author\u2019s playbook. When written well, dialogue can help us create convincing characters, revealing important information about their histories, motivations, strengths and shortcomings, and offering insight into how they feel. Good dialogue doesn\u2019t just bring characters to life; it peels back their layers, exposing all of the wonderful and terrible complexities that make them believable\u2014their trauma, their prejudices, their flaws and their strengths. Their hopes and dreams. All the human things that make us love them, root for them, hate them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And character development is just one of the purposes of dialogue. A <\/span>capable writer <\/span><\/a>uses dialogue to drive a story\u2019s plot forward, to bring the reader closer to its climax and, ultimately its conclusion. Dialogue can also help charge scenes with emotion, heightening tension between characters or building suspense ahead of a key event or turning point in the plot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the most basic purpose dialogue serves is to break up the action and descriptions that form the bulk of your manuscript and improve the flow and pacing of your story. When written well, it helps draw readers deeper into the tale, maintaining the \u201cvivid and continuous dream\u201d that American novelist and essayist John Gardner dubbed the cornerstone of good fiction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dialogue enhances writing in so many ways\u2014but only if it\u2019s done the right way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beginning writers often make the mistake of assuming dialogue won\u2019t be a tough literary device to master. It seems absurd that it would be, when you think about it\u2014we use words to communicate with each other every day. How difficult could it possibly be to make our characters interact in a way that sounds natural <\/span>and <\/span><\/i>moves our story along?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It can be pretty difficult, actually. Getting dialogue right on paper requires skill and an ear for realistic speech patterns, and even then, a practiced editor will probably find a hundred flaws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is, even <\/span>accomplished authors<\/span><\/a> struggle with capturing the natural flow of conversation. But if you\u2019re getting hung up on things like word choice and cadence in the beginning stages of writing your screenplay, <\/span>novel,<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>short story,<\/span><\/a> you\u2019re missing the bigger picture:<\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter how convincing your dialogue is, if it doesn\u2019t serve any purpose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do you write great dialogue? These days it seems there are <\/span>formulas for every aspect of the writing process<\/span><\/a>\u2014for plotting, for developing character arcs and backstories, for building worlds and establishing settings. Surely there\u2019s a trick to it, a tried and tested method for writing convincing forward-focused conversations that breathe life into your story and your characters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Right?<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there is no magic recipe. Part of the \u201csecret\u201d is plenty of practice, and a lot of the magic happens in the <\/span>editing phase<\/span><\/a>. That said, you don\u2019t need to dive into the process blindly. Understanding what makes dialogue powerful will save you a lot of time and effort when you sit down to clean up your first draft. Here are some tips and exercises that can set you on the right track to writing great conversations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Start by getting to know your characters\u2019 voices<\/b><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t all have the same way of speaking. From our levels of education to the neighborhoods we grew up in and even our personalities, so many different factors influence things like the pace at which we speak, whether we\u2019re loud or soft-spoken,\u00a0 the words we use and the ways that we pronounce them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The next time you find yourself in a busy setting, try to eavesdrop on the different conversations happening all around you. Airports are great places to find inspiration for accents and speech patterns, but you can practice this exercise anywhere: a coffee shop, a crowded bar, the break room at your office\u2014any spot will do, as long as there\u2019s chatter. You\u2019ll quickly notice that everyone has a unique way of communicating, whether it\u2019s a hint of an accent, a slight speech impediment, a tendency to emphasize certain vowels or consonants…the list goes on. Real people express themselves in different ways. If you want to draw readers into your story and keep them there, your characters should, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve done a little bit of field work, take your findings to the page. Pick two contrasting characters\u2014they don\u2019t need to be your own. For this example, let\u2019s use a young prince who is next in line for the throne and a serving girl attending a royal ball in disguise with the help of her fairy godmother. Both characters come from completely different backgrounds. They likely have very different levels of education. Disparate interests, insecurities and aspirations. Perhaps the girl was raised in a country village where everyone lingers on their vowels and most of the population is illiterate. Maybe the prince was neglected by his parents as a child and thus becomes very talkative the moment somebody pays him any attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider your characters\u2019 unique backstories, their personalities, and what their voices might sound like as a result. Then make them interact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Accustomed to speaking in public and tutored by the kingdom\u2019s brightest scholars, our prince might feel very comfortable discussing a broad range of subjects, from literature to politics. Small talk spills easily from his lips, fluid and peppered with lofty words our serving girl does not recognize or understand. As the daughter of a stablemaster in a village where everyone lives one bad harvest away from penury, she doesn\u2019t have much to say about courtly affairs or the latest discoveries in astronomy. Embarrassed by her ignorance and terrified that the prince will see through her disguise if she mispeaks, she\u2019s tight-lipped at first, replying to his questions with careful non-answers. But when he mentions his love of horses, her eyes light up and suddenly she has much to say indeed. Emboldened and excited, she interrupts the prince frequently, her sentences long and emphatic. He notices the way she draws out her vowels and begins to suspect she\u2019s no ordinary noble.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When your characters speak in a way that makes sense given their backgrounds and personalities, they become real. This is why it\u2019s important to remember and use your characters\u2019 voices when writing dialogue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remove any elements that distract from the conversation and the story<\/b><\/p>\n

Once you have written out a dialogue between two of your characters, go back and clean it up. Look for dialogue tags\u2014things like \u201che said,\u201d or \u201cshe shouted,\u201d\u2014 and remove as many as possible. While sometimes necessary, dialogue tags should be used sparingly because they weaken your writing, slowing conversation and distracting from that \u201cvivid and continuous dream\u201d by drawing attention to the author. During <\/span>the editing process, <\/span><\/a>try to find better ways to clue the reader in on which character is speaking. Every time you come across a dialogue tag, ask yourself, \u201cWould the reader know who was speaking if I took this out?\u201d If the answer is \u201cyes,\u201d kill the tag. If the answer is \u201cno,\u201d look for other means to establish the speaker\u2019s identity, such as gestures and body language.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider these two examples:<\/span><\/p>\n

Example 1:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you learn so much about horses?\u201d asked the prince.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy father breeds them,\u201d replied Cinderella.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example 2:\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The prince tilted his head. \u201cHow did you learn so much about horses?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy father…breeds them.\u201d Cinderella studied the patterns in the marble beneath her feet, cursing inwardly at the near slip.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The second example establishes which character is speaking and when without having to spell it out for the reader. It keeps the reader\u2019s focus on what is being said and reveals information about each character\u2019s emotions during the exchange.<\/p>\n

If you must use a dialogue tag, consider alternative words for \u201csaid,\u201d like \u201cwhispered,\u201d \u201csang,\u201d \u201cspat,\u201d or \u201cpleaded.\u201d But use these sparingly, too. While they do help convey emotion, as a rule the best dialogue tags are the ones your reader doesn\u2019t notice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use body language<\/b><\/p>\n

We already talked about using body language as a way to establish who is speaking. It can also help strengthen your dialogue in other ways, especially when it is at odds with what your character is saying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, a woman laughs at a joke her husband makes at a dinner party, but beneath the table her fingers curl into a fist. On the eve of battle, a group of soldiers in their bunker swap tales of past misadventures. However, in the moments between each bout of laughter, one hardened private can\u2019t seem to stop bouncing his leg, while another bites his lip and picks absently at an old scar along his forearm. Actions like these\u2014nervous ticks, a change in posture, distinct mannerisms\u2014are also a kind of dialogue and often work hand-in-hand with what characters say, revealing interesting things about their state of mind or helping to set the mood of a scene. While using a character\u2019s voice is crucial to crafting good dialogue, it is not the only element you should rely on. Use characters\u2019 movements to make interactions more impactful and keep your story moving forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep your dialogue real<\/b><\/p>\n

Stephen King said, \u201cThe key to writing good dialogue is honesty.\u201d That means, <\/span>keep it real. <\/span><\/i>Very few people go through life saying exactly what\u2019s on their minds. Humans are biased. We lie. We exaggerate. We withhold information for all kinds of reasons and twist the truth to suit our own ends. We tell things the way we want others to see them, not necessarily how they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No matter what the purpose behind any given interaction in your story, one important key to writing powerful, convincing dialogue is to make it realistic. If it\u2019s in line with your character\u2019s personality, let him or her blunder through a lie\u2014or spin one with chilling, practiced ease. And remember that sometimes what characters <\/span>don\u2019t <\/span><\/i>say can be just as telling about their personalities and motivations as what they <\/span>do <\/span><\/i>say. Perhaps your character clams up anytime he\u2019s asked about his romantic life. Or maybe she overuses big words to prove her superior intelligence to others. The way your characters speak reveals a lot about who they are, shedding light on insecurities and traits that might ultimately play important roles in how the events in your story unfold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get everything out in the first draft and worry about refining it later<\/b><\/p>\n

Many seasoned authors will caution you against trying to draft and <\/span>edit<\/span><\/a> at the same time. It\u2019s a solid piece of <\/span>professional writing advice<\/span><\/a> and one every aspiring writer should try to remember during the <\/span>writing process. <\/span><\/a>No matter what kind of project you are working on, when <\/span>writing your first draft<\/span><\/a>, just focus on getting all of your ideas out onto the page. Remember that nothing you write is set in stone; a lot of it will, and <\/span>should,<\/span><\/i> change between your first attempt and your final manuscript. The goal during this stage of the process is to get everything out without overthinking any of it\u2014and that includes dialogue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you struggle with capturing cadence, don\u2019t dwell on it too much. You\u2019ve ideally already spent some time figuring out who your characters are and how they speak and act. This is the time to figure out what you want your characters to say and why. You\u2019ll have plenty of time later to go back and make their speech sound convincing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow inspiration where it leads you.<\/span><\/a> Make your characters interact with each other, regardless of whether or not those conversations drive your plot or enhance your story. Even if it\u2019s just small talk with no concrete purpose behind it, every scrap of dialogue you write for your characters during this initial stage serves as practice and will help you develop and refine their unique voices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Question every interaction when you review what you\u2019ve written<\/b><\/p>\n

During the <\/span>editing process<\/span><\/a>, analyze every conversation you\u2019ve written so far. Now is when you ask yourself questions like: \u201cDoes this dialogue move my plot along? Does it offer any insight into my characters\u2019 pasts, motivations or feelings? Does it <\/span>sound <\/span><\/i>like my characters? Does it help set the mood or establish the atmosphere in this particular scene?\u201d If the dialogue doesn\u2019t do <\/span>all <\/span><\/i>of these things, cut it out. Anything less is useless clutter and only distracts from the story you\u2019re trying to tell.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learning to write powerful dialogue doesn\u2019t happen overnight. <\/span>Don\u2019t get discouraged <\/span><\/a>if you return to your manuscript and realize many of your characters\u2019 interactions sound dead-end or forced. Remember the only way to get better is to practice, and one of the beautiful things about the<\/span> drafting stage<\/span><\/a> is that you can refine your writing as many times as you like until you have something that feels right. So <\/span>create a routine,<\/span><\/a> maybe put together a great <\/span>music playlist<\/span><\/a> you can write to, and keep at it. Soon you\u2019ll be spinning fantastic dialogue without a second thought.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dialogue. It\u2019s an indispensable part of every story, and one of the most important literary devices in an author\u2019s playbook. When written well, dialogue can help us create convincing characters, revealing important information about their histories, motivations, strengths and shortcomings, and offering insight into how they feel. Good dialogue doesn\u2019t just bring characters to life; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Write Good Dialogue and Why It Matters - Writing Routines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/write-good-dialogue-matters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Write Good Dialogue and Why It Matters - Writing Routines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dialogue. It\u2019s an indispensable part of every story, and one of the most important literary devices in an author\u2019s playbook. When written well, dialogue can help us create convincing characters, revealing important information about their histories, motivations, strengths and shortcomings, and offering insight into how they feel. 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It\u2019s an indispensable part of every story, and one of the most important literary devices in an author\u2019s playbook. When written well, dialogue can help us create convincing characters, revealing important information about their histories, motivations, strengths and shortcomings, and offering insight into how they feel. 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