Talking The Talk
12 Tips and Tricks for Writers Crafting Natural Dialog
Dialog. Novels. This can be pretty sticky. Great dialog makes your novel come alive, engaging readers and immersing them in your story. It has a number of jobs actually like advancing the plot, revealing the personalities of the characters, and generally adding depth to the story.
Seasoned writer or rookie compelling dialog is at the core of taking your writing to the next level. Of giving your novel its voice. So, how to do just that? Let’s dive into a few dialog tips.
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1. Develop a great ear. Pay attention to how people around you talk in everyday situations. Listen to conversations or engage others in conversations; friends, family, strangers. Take note of the cadence, tone, and word choices of various people. Accents? Maybe hoarse or particularly smooth? Realistic dialog is more relatable to readers.
2. Show, Don’t Tell. How many times have you heard that? Well, this is the place to use dialog to show emotions and reactions rather than telling them to your reader. Here’s where, instead of saying, “She was angry,” you show her fury through her words, tone, and body language. As an example: “How dare you speak to me like that!” she shouted, fists clenched, fire in her eyes. Okay, that might be a bit much, but you get the drift.
3. Follow the above with the advice to use Dialog Tags Sparingly. Seriously. Dialog tags like “said,” “asked,” and “replied” are essential for clarity, but overusing them can be distracting. Instead of relying solely on tags, use action beats, facial expressions, and gestures to attribute dialog and convey emotions. Oh, and remember to reread it to yourself or out loud to make sure the reader can easily follow along with who is doing the speaking. Some rapid exchanges of dialog can even leave off tags and gestures altogether when it’s a situation where the speakers are obvious and the exchange quick or heated.
4. Don’t forget to mix dialog with action. I’m a big fan of action. Not all writers are, but I enjoy keeping things moving. I kind of go for big action. But, whether big or small, it’s important to integrate dialog seamlessly with action and description to create dynamic scenes. You don’t want talking heads so it adds interest to the scene when you show characters doing things as they speak. Adding movement and visual interest to your scenes keeps your reader glued to the pages.
5. Do I really need to tell you you need to know your characters? Understand their backgrounds, personalities, and motivations. Each character should have a distinct voice and way of speaking that reflects who they are. Consider factors such as age, education, culture, and experiences when crafting their dialog. Some might swear, some might be above that. Accent? Maybe a speech impediment? Perhaps the person actually spits when they speak? Hoarse voice? Smooth? You get it. Think about it. You created these characters; you should know them well.
6. Generally, keep it concise. Stay on point. Don’t let your characters turn into talking heads. Stay focused and avoid long-winded speeches or excessive explanations. It gets boring fast. Break up the flow with pauses, interruptions, and silences to create rhythm and tension in conversations. Make your characters real!
7. In casual dialog, use contractions. People don’t generally speak in perfect sentences when talking among themselves, so don’t hesitate to sprinkle your dialog with words like “I’m,” “you’ll,” and “they’ve.” Things sound a lot more natural with contractions — note number 1 above.
8. Subtext. Use dialog to present underlying meanings and subtext. Characters don’t always say exactly what they mean. In fact, they hardly ever do. That adds layers to your story. Include subtle hints, innuendos, and unspoken thoughts to create intrigue and keep readers guessing. Throw in some humor too.
9. Go for the conflict. Dialog that’s engaging for your readers often involves conflict and tension between characters. Mafia Don threatening someone, husband, wife fighting, school bully…etc. Don’t hesitate to include disagreements, misunderstandings, and hidden agendas to shake things up and draw the reader in.
10. Editing, as usual, is a biggie. Read your dialog out loud to check for flow, rhythm, and authenticity. Keep it crisp. Remove unnecessary words or phrases that don’t belong or add to your story.
11. One big help can be studying dialog in books you’ve loved. Analyze how the dialog was done. Pay attention to the use or non-use of tags, the use of dialect or accent, and the use of movement within the dialog description. Read, study, and mold it all into your personal style.
Photo by Jade Masri on Unsplash
12. Think about feedback. You’re not writing in a bubble…well maybe you’re writing in a bubble, but your writing sure won’t stay there. After you’ve read, reread, and edited, consider giving it some exposure. Have friends, relatives, maybe writing groups or beta readers give you some feedback. Then listen to what they have to say and use what feels right to you. No matter how much feedback, it’s your story.
By way of wrapping up, remember that practice and experimentation are key to nailing down your style and sharpening your writing skills. Write, rinse, and repeat are really at the core of your writing journey and what will, over time, make your writing go from good to great.
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Great advice!!
Thank you for this informative article, helps to clarify a couple gray spots for me.