I love characters. Can’t have a good story without them. Subsequently, I love dialogue. The banter between lovers, the squabbles amongst siblings, the mourning of lost comrades. Good dialogue connects a reader to the characters, showing them their personalities, how they relate to others, and sometimes providing vital information.
Where the waters get murky is when conversations drone on, flippant words are used, and the story is told rather than shown. Every word matters in a book, and every piece of dialogue is a step toward the conclusion. Most of the dialogue I see is beautiful, but we all have places to learn. Welcome to Dialogue 101: Conversation with Intention.
Trick 1: Get into Character
Or, more accurately, get into your character’s head. Once you’ve created a character, you need to take on the characteristics and history of the individual. In simple terms, method acting.
For the book I’m working on, Foresight, I primarily wrote dialogue in the form of thoughts. Stacy, my protagonist, can’t speak. All her thoughts are on display for the reader, so I had no choice but to get into her head. There is some headhopping, so I spent time in the mind of each character, writing from their perspective.
This came off more believable and interesting than my first book where I wrote what sounded cool. By taking on the history of your character and their outlook on life, you can properly share their voice to your audience. Dialogue suddenly gets more punch because you have multiple, unique voices leading the conversation rather than one, similar tone.
Trick 2: Talk Like a Normal Person
For the time period, for the situation at hand. Just talk normal.
If the story is in the distant past, they won’t use modern slang. If characters are facing life and death, they’re not going to waste time with an extensive conversation. What’s happening around your characters does matter as it influences how they’ll speak and what they’ll say.
But even more than that, I doubt you’ll find a six-year-old using the word “capitulate.” You might not even find a young adult who would use that in common conversation. Words are awesome, I should know. But dialogue is conversation, not a vocabulary quiz. The way you structure sentences, the words you pick, all determine how quickly a reader understands the time, situation, and intention.
Trick 3: What Do We Gain?
So many aspects of novels fall under this umbrella, but we’ll focus on dialogue. Mainly, what are we to learn from this exchange.
Not everything can go into your novel. Scenes you dreamt about or fantasized might not fit the characters you created or the plot you developed. I’ll say it again: every word matters. What we take away from a conversation must move the story forward.
So what are some valid reasons? Obviously world building and developing the plot, but also character relationships and development. Dialogue is nice way to show the connections between different characters. Who they trust, who they dislike, who they have mild interest in will all reveal itself in one-on-one interactions.
Bonus: Idiosyncracies
Stutters, lisps, anxiety, repetitive speech. These and more can be characteristics that differentiate your characters. But they can also be nuisances that turn readers away.
I learned quickly to use awkward speech once or twice and then return to normal patterns. Readers are smarter than you think; when they know a character has a stutter, they hear the stutter whenever the character speaks. Every now and then reaffirm the point, but don’t bring it in so often that it’s difficult to read.
Final Thoughts: Talk to People
Am I suggesting you get away from your keyboard and talk to people? Yes. And social media doesn’t count.
Human interaction isn’t rehearsed or edited fifty times over (though I have tried). It’s usually spontaneous, jumping from one thought to the next. Some people have accents that act up for certain words, others find it weird you say “soda” instead of “pop.” Learn about people in the real world. Note the words they use, how they frame sentences, and how they act or shift their weight. Body language is more important than you would think.
Honestly, this advice is just good for you. Our world has become so online-focused that we don’t know how to respond without editing and finessing for ten minutes. Take some time to interact with people. Once you have this knowledge, bring it into your writing. More depth and realism will come to your characters when you have more than your voice in the mix.