How to write great dialogue
Writing great dialogue is like composing a symphony with words. It's essential for bringing your characters to life, driving your story forward, and engaging your readers. But what makes dialogue great, and how can you achieve it in your writing? Let's delve into the art of writing compelling dialogue.
Characteristics of great dialogue
Great dialogue often has the following traits:
- Natural and believable: It mirrors the way people speak in real life, capturing their unique voices, dialects, and speech patterns.
- Revealing: It offers insights into characters' personalities, emotions, and relationships.
- Purposeful: Every line contributes to character development, plot advancement, or scene setting.
Steps to writing great dialogue
Writing dialogue might seem daunting at first, but by breaking it down into steps, you can tackle it with confidence.
- Know your characters: Understand your characters' backgrounds, personalities, and motivations. This knowledge will inform their speech patterns, vocabulary, and topics of conversation.
- Define the purpose: What function does the dialogue serve in the scene? Is it to reveal a secret, deepen a relationship, or create conflict? Having a clear purpose will guide your dialogue.
- Write the exchange: Start with a basic exchange between characters. Don't worry about making it perfect; just get the conversation flowing.
- Refine and polish: Now it's time to make the dialogue shine. Remove unnecessary words, adjust the tone, add subtext, and ensure the dialogue aligns with the characters and the scene.
Tips for writing great dialogue
To make your dialogue stand out, consider these tips:
- Read aloud: Dialogue should sound natural, and one of the best ways to check this is to read it aloud. If it feels awkward or forced, it might need some tweaking.
- Avoid info dumps: Dialogue isn't just a tool for conveying information. Avoid having characters state information they would already know, simply for the reader's benefit.
- Use subtext: Characters often have thoughts and feelings they don't express directly. Subtext – what's said 'between the lines' – can make dialogue richer and more realistic.
- Show, don't tell: Use dialogue to show characters' emotions and dynamics instead of telling the reader about them.
Remember, writing great dialogue is a skill that takes practice. Don't be afraid to experiment, revise, and even eavesdrop a little – all to create engaging and realistic conversations in your narrative!
