Fiction Writing help: How Do I Write Great Dialogue?

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Fiction Writing help: How Do I Write Great Dialogue?

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So many authors I know struggle with dialogue. Maybe I as a blind person have a distinct advantage over you sighted people, because I pay so muh attention to what I hear.

My observations tell me that problems with dialogue come from 2 main issues:

1. Not knowing your character well enough to hear them speak inside our head and translate that to the page, and

2. Being so focused on grammar and punctuation that you don’t put the cadence of the character’s voice onto the page.

Making Jewelry

Issue#1: Know Your Character

The most important things to know about a character are her hopes, fears, motivations and hot buttons. He will react to everything and everyone in the story based on those elements.

If he is terrified of dogs, he’ll react to a person he might like to date differently once he discovers his intended has 2 large dobermans. If she has been abused, someone raising a hand might cause her to flinch.

I don’t believe you need to reate a super complicated summary and life history for each inhabitant of your tales, but you want to know each of the main people like a friend.

How to Know your Characters Better

Answer those basic questions for the principles: hopes, fears, goals/motivations and hot buttons.
Get to know your character as a person. Don’t force him to be someone he’s not. Let him come alive.
One of my favorite techniques comes from author jan Morrill , author of The Red kimono. She suggests you interview your character in a place where they will feel comfortable. You can ask them anything. It is a great way to tap into insights you may not have otherwise discovered.

Now it’s time to develop your ear for how people really speak.

Issue #2: Cadence and Dialect

While you may otherwise be a dedicated grammarian, you need to keep in mind that your characters need to be free to express their truth in the way they would say it.

Your Characters Won’t (Usually) Have Perfect Grammar

In case you hadn’t noticed, people don’t speak in a grammatically correct way most of the time. We use shortcuts. Start sentences without a subject sometimes.. Say incomplete sentences. Put words in the wrong order. (I’m driving the grammar Nazis NUTS right now!)

And it’s bigger than how they speak…

Your characters think inside their heads the way they speak.

in other words, if your point of view character is a country boy, he won’t think, I wonder why has he not stoped doing that. He’ll think, Why ain’t he quit?

Is dialect nothing more than stereotype?

I received a critique on a story that I was “tapping into too many stereotypes.” Naturally, the person who leveled this charge at me is a grammar Nazi. You just can’t give every character impeccable grammar and punctuation.

stereotypes are what they are because there’s a good dose of truth in them. Jeff Foxworthy’s Redneck jokes work because, well, that’s how rednecks are.

Become a Keen Listener

Make your character’s dialogue and internalization sound like the character. The reader should hear their voice in her head. So the first order of business is to know your character so well that YOU hear her inside your own head. Then turn what you hear in your head into speech and inner thoughts on the page.

Next, make sure your character sounds right for the time and place from which she comes. If your character is from New York, she or he should talk and think like a New Yorker. If you’re from Iowa and have no idea how those from the Big Apple talk, then you might consider following the tips below. If he’s a 14th Century noble, he will not use contractions or modern phrases like “hey bro,” or, “what’s shakin’, dude?”

How to Develop Your Ear for Dialogue

Listen to music relevant to what you’re writing. It will convey the feeling for the correct way of thinking.
Watch TV shows and/or movies set in the correct time and place. This will help you hear the difference between the way a city slicker and a country boy speak.
If your character comes from another country, take in media from that country. If your character is East Indian, watch some Bollywood films to get the cadence right. If she’s English,watch some shows on BBC America.
Don’t be afraid to write what you hear. Your character’s voice will stand out as long as you let it.

For more help with all aspects of writing, including developing your ear for dialogue, you can become an Awakened Author Adventure Premium Member.

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