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| Dialogue 101 |
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| Most stories contain dialogue. It gives the reader a sense of immediacy and intimacy. Effective dialogue should not only move the story forward, but it should also give the reader a sense of being part of the story.
What is dialogue? The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction defines it: �The actual speech of characters in a story, usually punctuated with quotation marks.� Dialogue must meet these criteria: 1) It must ring true. 2) It must serve a purpose. It shouldn�t be inserted in a story merely to break up long passages of exposition. It must contribute to the story by giving the reader new information about the characters and/or plot. In real life we exchange pleasantries; speak in tangents; change the subject; repeat ourselves; or engage in chit-chat. In a story the dialogue must sound natural but not so natural that our characters speak like we do in real life. Our written dialogue must be focused. What are the functions of dialogue? 1) Enhancing characterization. Your characters reveal what they think of themselves and others through their conversations. 2) Conveying new information. For instance, two attorneys can discuss a case; a doctor can update someone on a medical condition; two neighbors can exchange gossip (as long as it has relevance to the story). One caveat: Be careful to not overload the dialogue with too much information at once. Dialogue should not be information dumping. 3) Adding description. In addition to revealing facts, the dialogue can show physical descriptions through conversations. For instance a character might describe the view outside his window, describe his first impressions of another character, or complain about a traffic jam. 4) Indicating or reversing a flashback. For instance, Cari is reliving memories with her childhood friend, Allison. �Remember the Halloween we went to the Bates� farm?� This can segue into a flashback. You can use the dialogue to bring your story back to the present. 5) Adding suspense and conflict. You can use dialogue to plants hints or clues about your characters or what might happen next. It can help to foreshadow conflict or bring up questions that will keep your reader glued to the story. 6) Summing up plot. This is mainly used in mysteries. At the end of the story the detective reveals the guilty party and summarizes the events. You can also use this to tie up loose ends in a story. But it should not read as a device. Format and tag lines In most cases, the dialogue will be enclosed in quotation marks. Start a new paragraph for each speaker. Like this: �Isn�t this great?� �For a dog, maybe.� �But look at the potential. The wood�s in great shape.� To identify who is speaking, insert tag lines. A tag line is a phrase that indicates who�s speaking. �Isn�t this great?� Rich says. �For a dog, maybe,� Cari says. �But look at the potential. The wood�s in great shape,� Rich says. You don�t have to include a tag line after every exchange, like I did above. Once you establish who�s speaking, you don�t need to use them every time. Tag lines shouldn�t be intrusive. Avoid variations like, �he replied,� �she queried,� �he growled,� and son on. Because your tag lines should be almost invisible, you should also avoid using adverbs like, �She said loudly,� �he hissed angrily,� �she said embarrassingly.� These slow down the flow. They�re the mark of an amateur. If you�ve written your dialogue effectively, the reader can �hear� the tone of your speakers. You can also mix action with dialogue to show how your characters are thinking and feeling. And as in real life, our characters have their own rhythms and inflections of speech. Your characters shouldn�t sound identical. Pay attention to conversations around you. Each person has a different manner of speaking. You can hear when the speakers change. A note about pleasantries. In real life, we introduce ourselves and say �hello� and �goodbye.� In fiction we can assume that happens, and it need not be transcribed. When a character makes a phone call, we don�t need the �Hello Ralph? It�s me, Scott.� Begin the conversation in medias res, where the essential information begins. Pull out one of your stories. Check: 1) Does the dialogue have a purpose? If not, take it out. 2) Do you use variations of �he said� in your tag lines? Rewrite your dialogue to reflect the mood and tone of your characters. 3) Strike out your adverbs. 4) Strike out the pleasantries. 5) Do your characters all sound the same? Rewrite the dialogue so your characters have their own distinct voices. 6) Practice, practice, practice and read published stories for examples of dialogue. Copyright 2002-2007 Rita Marie Keller Cacoethes Scribendi Creative Writing Workshop |
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