 Short Stories: July 24, 2024 Issue [#12610] |
This week: Good Dialogue Edited by: Annette  
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| "Writers can train their ears to hear rhythms and speech patterns just as musicians can train themselves to hear melodies and musical rhythms." ~ Linda Seger in Creating Unforgettable Characters |
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Good Dialogue
It's probably impossible to teach anyone to be great at anything. Great paintings, great music, great anything is a labor of love of the individual who makes it. Great also lies in the eyes of the beholder. Things that are just okay to me could be great to you.
It is possible to teach, learn, and practice how to create good dialogue. That is, dialogue that most readers will readily accept as a character's way of speaking. Dialogue that is not intrusive in the narrative but helps to to flow and develop.
Good dialogue
 has a beat, rhythm, melody
is short (no more than two or three lines)
moves back and forth between characters
reveals character by conveying conflict, attitude, intentions
is easily spoken out loud
Bad dialogue
is stilted, wooden
is difficult to say out loud
all characters sound alike
characters sound artificial
simplifies characters rather than reveal their complexity
One simple way to make dialogue more dynamic is to use contractions. Most people say "Don't" instead of "Do not."
If you have a character who doesn't use contractions, make that her/his special trait. Did they learn the language late in life? Is this how they overcome stuttering?
You can add vocal quirks to the spoken expressions of your characters. My middle son used to hum after speaking. Just a little single note sound. As if he were punctuating what he just said.
Use the setting and what the characters do while they speak another way to give reasons for pauses in speaking that the reader can see.
Don't forget about subtext. Sometimes, two people will say a bunch of words, but what they are really saying to each other means something else. Subtext is what isn't said. Subtext is usually easier to understand through actions that contradict the spoken words.
What tools and tricks do you use to make dialogue in your stories appear natural?
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| |  | Libertalien (ASR)
Some nonresident aliens don't pay taxes. Dialogue 500 entry.
#2318861 by Jeff  |
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2317012 by Not Available. |
| | | Twenty-three (E)
A man finds a strange message on a beach. 2nd in No Dialogue Contest, September 2023.
#2303941 by Beholden   |
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Replies to my last Short Stories newsletter "Emotional Fiction Writing" that asked Which emotion do you think you write well? Which emotion would you like to write better?
markmore  wrote: great newsletter. I think all of my characters are emotionally troubled . my problem is figuring out how to show them correctly.
I guess that's the problem in all story telling. How to get the message across?
brom21  wrote: I have to consciously put emotional reactions into my characters especially and fear. I constantly must check for lines like-"He was full of fear" or "He was overwhelmed with dread." I get the same thing with shock and surprise. I have more or less learned to assign decent emotional descriptions to human feelings. Like I said, it takes some effort to do so. Thanks for the NL!
I agree that it's hard to catch those phrases that come so easily, but really don't feel like anything to the reader. I too have to figure out how to make my reader feel emotions instead of reading about them.
Bikerider  wrote: Your May 7th Newsletter, Emotional Fiction Writing was very informative. I sometimes use The Emotion Thesaurus which I find helpful to describe a character's inner emotions. I've also found that using the senses can evoke emotion: a song that was popular when you dated your first love can lead to emotion, so can the smell of the ocean that reminds you of your honeymoon/vacation etc., or even the touch of your lover's fingers on your skin. And many more. Thanks again for the informative newsletter.
Whoa! Great answer with some superb tips. Thank you!
dragonwoman wrote: Thanks for including my flash "The Good in Advertising" in your picks.
Thank you for writing it. |
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