Now we've talked about why dialogue is important, it's time to think about writing some.
So what are my top tips for writing dialogue?
1. Only use words that are necessary.
When listening to normal speech, you often hear the words 'um', 'like' and many other useless words. These are not necessary to your writing unless you are writing a very specific character.
If you've been listening to scripted writing (like on the t.v. or plays, etc.), you will have noticed that these words tend to be omitted. They don't grab the reader/listener's attention and they slow down the pace of your writing.
2. Think about how your character would speak.
I will be talking about characterisation next week, but this is a really important consideration for your dialogue. Where does your character come from, what class are they, who are they talking to?
If you are setting your story somewhere you don't live, it can be useful to go and visit that place. Listen to how the locals talk, their dialect, what phrases they use that may be unique to the area. Are they friendly to strangers or locals? Do they have lots of places to meet up or is it relatively solitary?
3. Build tension.
Sure, scenery is a great way to build tension, but the easiest and most effective way is definitely through direct speech.
Try writing a short section where a character has to deliver some bad news, or a stand off scene between two characters.
There might be some silence, but in these types of scene you would expect there to be lots of talking or, at the very least, noise. How does one person use language to control another? If delivering particularly sad news, might they try to lighten the mood with a joke? How would it be received?
4. Don't be afraid to dive straight in.
Starting a story with direct speech is a great way to bring the audience straight in on the action without having to do lots of convoluted set-up.
Again, I can't recommend Terry Bisson's story Meat enough to demonstrate how well this can work.
5. Normal conversations are boring.
This is similar to the first point, but instead of just omitting boring words, omit boring conversation.
One thing readers hate is an everyday conversation:
"Hi!"
"Hello, how are you?"
"I'm well thanks, how about you?"
"Oh I'm alright. How are the children?"
This is boring. Don't waste your time writing something I could go to the coffee shop any day of the week to listen to!
Instead, let your speakers go off on tangents, juxtapose what they would ordinarily say. Is something distracting them? Do they have a particularly important piece of news that they can't wait to tell? Will they end up being interrupted by something or someone else?
So, remember to keep your dialogue short, true to character and unique.
Happy writing!
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