Kill Your Blank Pages: Dialogue

Tony Stark... now there's some dialogue!

Most people only have to learn how to have a good conversation once in their lives. Writers have to learn twice: what sounds good on paper often sounds terrible aloud, and what sounds good aloud looks terrible on paper. Finding a balance can appear to be an insurmountable challenge that makes writers’ creative juices dry up on the spot.

Never fear—I’ve got some ideas to make your brain salivate at the thought of writing dialogue. :) Let’s dive right in!

Is Dialogue Slowing You Down?

If dialogue is preventing you from writing, you probably already know this without having to do too much self-psychoanalysis. Whenever you throw two characters in the room and open their mouths to talk, you suddenly feel like an awkward preteen trying to talk to his crush. Everything you write sounds so stilted and artificial, you feel like throwing your computer (or writing pad) at the wall!

How to Get Talking

I really, really, REALLY love writing dialogue in my stories, and when a book has good dialogue, it’s often the best part to read. The key to character conversation that flows naturally is—quite simply—not to over-think things, just like in real life. There are only a few basic elements to consider when writing, beyond which you just need to relax and write.

The first question you need to ask yourself when characters begin talking is “What is the purpose of the dialogue?” When it comes to writing conversations, LESS = MORE. While in real life, people often take pleasure in talking just for the sake of it, no one enjoys reading pointless discussions. You shouldn’t make characters talk just to make them talk.

So what should the goals of your dialogue be? Really, it comes down just to two things: advancing the story, or revealing something about the character.

Using dialogue to reveal the story could include things like characters asking questions to find information from other characters, or to invite them to an event that impacts the story (like to a party where the protag’s boyfriend will be killed), or to confront them about a problem. Dialogue that reveals character traits might be a scenario where the protag asks his best friend to come to his wedding, and the friend says he’s busy (when the protag knows he’s not, thus revealing that the best friend isn’t much of a friend).

Always know what you want to prove or establish with the conversation, then work backwards from there.

Once you've established that your conversation will be worthwhile, there are a few tips and pointers to spice it up:

            •Skip or condense all the boring introductions like “Hi, how are you?” “Oh good, how are you…?” Cut right to the chase: you’ll notice in your favorite movies and books, they don’t include almost any fillers.

            •Really know the characters that are having the conversation and their speaking styles. There’s a world of difference between “John, could you please wipe up the milk you spilled?” and “Johnny, clean that mess up or you’re gonna lick it off the floor with your tongue.” Know whether your characters have direct or indirect speaking styles, whether they’re long-winded or terse, how good their vocabulary is, and even their favorite filler words, slang, and expletives.

            •Use humor! Dialogue is the best place to make your readers laugh. This also ties into knowing your characters well, as different people use different kinds of humor (sarcasm, puns, jokes, hyperbole, insults and subtleties). (NOTE: Write me a comment and maybe I’ll do a post on humor in writing later!)

            •Study the experts: take lots of notes when you watch your favorite movies and read your favorite books. See if you can identify the goal of each conversation: whether to advance the story, or reveal the characters, or both!

Dialogue should be fun to write, not a brain-killer. Let your characters do the talking—all you have to do is write it down!

Next week is part four of KILL YOUR BLANK PAGES: A TEN-PART SERIES ON WRITER’S BLOCK. See you soon!