Writing Dialogue Writing Dialogue Writing dialogue isnt about
Writing Dialogue
Writing Dialogue • Writing dialogue isn’t about replicating a real-life conversation. 1. Dialogue Must Be In Conflict • Give the two characters conflicting goals – one of them wants one thing, the other something else.
Writing Dialogue 2. Dialogue Must Have a Purpose • The Dialogue Should Drive the Story Forward (advance the plot) • The Dialogue Should Characterize • understanding of a character’s personality • demonstrating the relationships between different characters • The Dialogue Should Provide Information
Writing Dialogue 3. Dialogue Should Flow • Watch How You Use Dialogue Tags • Vary the Length of the Lines • Don’t Have Characters Talk In a Vacuum
Writing Dialogue 4. Dialogue Should Be Concise • rewrite your dialogue until it is as brief as you can get it
Writing Dialogue 5. Don’t Have the Characters All Sound the Same • Make sure that the words a character says are a natural extension of their personality. • Who Are They? • What Is Their Personal Vocabulary? • Who Are They Talking To?
Writing Dialogue 6. Give Characters an Agenda • Two characters having a conversation in a novel will both want something, often opposing things…
Writing Dialogue 7. Avoid Obvious Dialogue • Rephrase lines to make them fresh and interesting, perhaps even funny. • Say the exact opposite to what they really think. • Try to avoid having the conversation altogether by changing the subject. • Come out with an outright lie.
Writing Dialogue 8. Use Subtext In Your Dialogue • have characters talk about one thing… when they are actually talking about something else entirely
Writing Dialogue 9. Get the Punctuation Right • See handout
Writing Dialogue Caveat: Don’t Be Afraid to Break the Rules • Yes, you want the dialogue to sound original and witty and clever, but not for every single sentence that a character speaks. Do that and they’ll simply sound annoying. • Yes, you want your characters to avoid awkward subjects (or, when they can’t do that, to lie), but not all of the time. • Yes, you want the dialogue to be there for a reason. But occasionally, just occasionally, it’s okay to talk about the weather.
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