As a writer, my characters talk. In fact, some would say they talk too much. Maybe so. Yet whether they speak a little or a lot, writing dialogue well is a skill authors need to master.
Narration Versus Dialogue
Writing dialogue has always come naturally to me. One of my fellow writers, however, told me that I had a lot of dialogue in Desert Son. That’s the second Flight of the Raven novel. Her statement forced me to think about when I use narration versus dialogue. I chose to reduce the dialogue and at the same time, make the remaining dialogue stronger. I’ve applied this to later projects also, finding a better balance, and that has served me well. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still focus heavily on writing dialogue.
In Desert Son, for example, much of the action involves key characters interacting as they implement a clandestine operation. Some of that is expressed well through narration, but the action is served fare better through dialogue.
Dialogue as an Element of Character
One reason I enjoy dialogue so much is it’s a direct way to explore how my characters think and behave. You can learn a lot about a character (as a writer and reader!) by exploring how a character talks.
Jennifer Ellis offers this example from her website.
“Consider the difference between ‘Would you mind making me a drink?’ and ‘I’d like a drink,’ and even ‘Fix me a drink.’ They each tell you different things about the speaker.”
When I was writing dialogue for the Stephanie Hart novels, I took into account how I envisioned the characters before I wrote a single line. Officers like O. C. Boyd, who are arrogant, have a swagger to them, so their lines were often abrupt and sarcastic. When I wrote dialogue for a nicer character in the series, like Sheryl Novak, I used warmer words and narrative around them. A reader who read a conversation between Boyd and Sheryl Novak, should be able to envision this arrogant, straight-backed cop talking to a children’s librarian, without me reminding them of the characters’ roles.
Dialogue Tags
One key element to writing dialogue is understanding dialogue tags. Those are the things we insert after something is said, such as “he said,” or she said.” Here’s where what we were taught in English class doesn’t serve us well. I’ve seen English teachers and professors give students exhaustive lists of alternative dialogue tags. These include stuff like “observed,” “orated,” “hissed,” “growled,” or “crowed.” Yet many journals and literary magazines suggest that we stick with the tried and true “said.” For at least two contests I’ve entered, the guidelines tell us that when writing dialogue, stick to “said.”
One person who helped me reduce the number of dialogue tags suggested changing the statements before the dialogue. That way, I can mention how a character moves or frowns, which tells who is speaking next. Her advice helped me a lot with Diaspora.
Show, Don’t Tell
I struggle with this. We are admonished as authors to show, not tell. Yet if I say the people greeted each other, rather than having them do so through dialogue, I think I’m telling. But that’s not correct. Some greetings or small talk can be eliminated. One reason is that these verbal interactions may not serve the story, and can interrupt the flow of the writing. And once you lose a reader through boredom, it’s hard to get them back again.
Things You May Not Know
Another tip in writing dialogue is not to write the way people speak. This is counterintuitive to me, and something I need to work on. A number of sites say to keep the dialogue tight and avoid unnecessary words. These include interjections like “ums,” and “uhs”)—which I use when people would normally say “uh.” What I should use—according to the experts—is narrative to show indecisiveness, or perhaps shuffling feet that show the unease of confusion. These statements also keep the reader as focused on their picture of the character including their appearance or other quirks, as well as on their words. Characters can become more vibrant and rounded out as a result.
Writing dialogue is more than making your characters speak like real people. Writing dialogue the right way—and knowing when to avoid dialogue—can make all the difference in your writing.
