Writing Dynamic Dialogue
Unless your character is trapped in a trunk or your story is deeply introspective, chances are you will be writing dialogue between characters. Personally, dialogue is one of my favorite things to write because so much of the story’s detail can be found between the lines.
Dialogue reveals character personality, relationships, moves the plot, and creates more depth for the reader to become immersed. However, badly written dialogue can feel scripted, unnecessary, and just incredibly unrealistic. If you want to write authentic and captivating dialogue that doesn't sound like actors in an employee safety video, consider these tips as you write.
Avoid Overusing Tags
“Said” can feel repetitive when you're writing but to the reader it's as noticeable as a period at the end of a sentence. We know it's there because someone is saying something but it doesn't require much consideration after that.
When we switch out “said” for other words like “muttered” or…”growled”, we want to make sure it's adding something to the sentence. In some cases you might be creating a sluggish, broken up reading experience, and in other cases your characters will sound overly dramatic and cartoon-ish.
Using Subtext
Instead of characters stating how they feel, allow them to simply it.
Instead of:
“I'm so mad you forgot my takeout!” Susan yelled
Try:
“Um…where's my taco's” Susan asked
“Oh, damn, I forgot. It totally slipped my mind.” Henry said
Susan's eyes were glassy. “Great. Not like I needed to eat before this meeting.” She said, shutting the fridge door a little too hard.
Make Dialogue Match Character Voice
Each character should have a recognizable voice specific to them. Their voice is made up of their cultural word choice, their speech pace, and word choice tied to personality. A passive person from Michigan is going to sound different from a passive person in Georgia and much more different than a confrontational person from their state.
When you're fleshing out your character (you can use our template for that) take notes on how your character communicates. Are they sarcastic? Do they have a favorite word? Are they slow and descriptive or short and to the point?
Mix in some action and description
The conversation doesn't happen in a vacuum. Describe the setting, actions, and character’s expressions to add depth to the scene.
Henry grabbed his keys off the counter top. “I’ll go get them.”
Susan tried to storm off but had to walk carefully around the dog toys strewn across the living room floor. “Whatever. They’ve probably thrown them away by now.”
This was a section of dialogue that creates new movement in the plot (Henry is leaving to get the food and Susan is still upset.) but now we also have an idea of how the setting looks.
Keeping these tips and techniques in mind will help create dialogue that flows and adds value to the story. As your readers read your story they will be more immersed and anticipating every detail. Share your work in progress or finished story with beta readers on StoryForge and get detailed feedback on your dialogue and more!
