My Author's Blog

Another look at dialogue

         I have gotten some feedback regarding my post on dialogue, and it seems that I am not the only one that has struggled with making my dialogue sound the way I wanted. Dialogue is one of those things that can make or break a scene, with it you can either build the tension, or feeling in your story, or, if it dosn't come accross right, it can destroy the mood and turn the reader off on your story. Not to say that dialoge is the most important, or the only important, element to a story, for there are many, but it is up there on the list.
 
         Here are a few tips that have worked for me over time when I try to make my dialogue 'flow', and give it that real life sound and feel:
 
1 Listen to the way other people around you talk. Everyone is different, and while many people might sound alike, or use the same words when talking about certain ideas, there is going to be some difference. Listen as people talk, either to you or around you, not only to what they are saying but also HOW they are saying it. For instance, when talking about things that evoke a lot of emotion our voices change, we might whisper, our voices might tremble or crack or squeak, or we might talk with more volume or less, etc. The next time you have a discusion with someone, writie it out(as much as you can remember) later on, trying to make notes of how both you and the other person sounded when saying various things.
 
2 Stay centered on the topic. When characters in a story are discussing something important, say talking about a certain piece of the plot, or passing important news to each other, try not to throw in too much 'extra' information or talk. While sometimes people do ramble when talking, the last thing we want to see in a story is someone rambling on about unimportant information. A little of this is ok, if it works into your story, or shows us something about the character, just be careful not to over do it. If the conversation feels like it is running too long, try cutting out a line or two, and see how it flows then. Or reword some things, or try breaking it up with some action.
 
3 Listen to yourself. Once you have written out a conversation, or even just part of a conversation, try reading it outloud to yourself. Put the inflections in your voice that are indicated by the way you have written it, for instance if you say someone is whispering, whisper, if they are shouting, shout. Or even better, get your spouse, or girlfriend/boyfriend, or a friend to read through it with you. See how it sounds when being read aloud. Does it give the feeling you wanted it to? Does the text flow? Is all the information you wanted to get across there?
 
         So what tips or ideas do you have about dialogue?
 
 
Happy Writing!
 
RD Williams
http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1