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Let's Talk Dialogue - Part 3
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It's like anything about books. It's very subjective. You'll ask 100 people, you'll get 100 opinions.I personally LOVE dialogue, but hate the crutches like 'he said/she said' ....I get that they are there for a reason, but it makes me want to scream at the author....'I'm not an idiot'....hahaha
Mimi wrote: "It's like anything about books. It's very subjective. You'll ask 100 people, you'll get 100 opinions.I personally LOVE dialogue, but hate the crutches like 'he said/she said' ....I get that they ..."
Agree. I love dialogue inasmuch as it both fleshes out the character and allows me to fill in the gaps with my imagination. I also dislike too much he said/she said (too much 'tell' rather than 'show'). And yep, readers aren't idiots! But then, there's the opposite—I find it irritating when a long piece of dialogue has no he said/she said. It disrupts the reading experience when I have to go back through the exchange and try to figure out who said what!
Paula wrote: "Mimi wrote: "It's like anything about books. It's very subjective. You'll ask 100 people, you'll get 100 opinions.I personally LOVE dialogue, but hate the crutches like 'he said/she said' ....I g..."
I second that....:-))
I have to admit as a writer, I constantly remind myself that my readers don't live in my head and it has to be clear to them....
If you lose them...., it's over. :-)
I feel like the best dialogue promotes character development while moving the plot along, so it makes total sense to look at good dialogue from movies, to me. Movies don't have the luxury of knowing what is going on in a character's head without dialogue. Also, staging your characters while dialogue is happening is more important than anything (it helps to mitigate the he said issues mentioned above) but it also helps to move the action along in the story. I don't know if I have ever looked at a screenplay though to see how it is written. (Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to find one if I wanted to). This was a good one to think about. Suddenly, I feel like re-watching all of my favorite movies.
Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "I don't know if I have ever looked at a screenplay though to see how it is written. (Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to find one if I wanted to)..."You can find screenplays at:
-public library (free)
-IMSDB - That's the Internet Movie Script Database (free)
-Script City (cost generally equivalent to a good paperback)
-Script Fly (starting at ~$2.99)
These are just a few outlets. Google for an entire list. And no, this is not an endorsement of any of the above--it's just a sampling.
Free scripts you can generally read online. Scripts to purchase come from many outlets, reputable and disreputable (same as ebooks). So, check for references before buying from any source.
Also, watch your versions! There can be a huge difference between a first draft, continuity, etc. and a final shooting script. Even final shooting scripts may not reflect changes shot during post-production due to reactions from studio execs, audience focus groups, etc.
Thanks for the feedback.
Mimi wrote: "It's like anything about books. It's very subjective. You'll ask 100 people, you'll get 100 opinions.I personally LOVE dialogue, but hate the crutches like 'he said/she said' ....I get that they ..."
I agree Mimi. I had a hard time with this. What I ended up doing was if it was a cut and dry conversation and who was saying what was clearly defined, I didn't use the he said/she said. I read over and over it to make sure the reader could tell what was going on without it. But when there was more than two characters speaking, I had to use it to make a clear definition.
As far as speech tags go, I've never really understood the prejudice either for or against them--obviously if you're noticing either a lack or a surfeit of tags, something's wrong, but that's really true of any other writing trick or plot device. If the reader's thinking about how what they're reading was written and not about the story, the writing's not up to par.
Mimi wrote: "It's like anything about books. It's very subjective. You'll ask 100 people, you'll get 100 opinions.I personally LOVE dialogue, but hate the crutches like 'he said/she said' ....I get that they ..."
I totally get what you mean about "he said, she said" Mimi! Though I have been known to get lost in a string of dialogue and think, "Am I reading a screenplay?" Sometimes, I think authors use the "he said, she said" (not to mention the ever-popular "he replied, she barked back") as a way to pace the narrative.
Get rid of dialog tags and give each character his/her own voice.Here are two short articles that will give you a lot of help:
https://alkalarediting.wordpress.com/...
https://alkalarediting.wordpress.com/...
Feel free to browse for other tips.
Al wrote: "Get rid of dialog tags and give each character his/her own voice.Great articles. Thanks for sharing! Aloha Friday! :-))
Mimi wrote: "Al wrote: "Get rid of dialog tags and give each character his/her own voice.Great articles. Thanks for sharing! Aloha Friday! :-))"
You're welcome. Let's hear it for FRIDAY!!!! Or as some call it, "POETS day". (P*ss On Everything, Tomorrow's Saturday).
Jay wrote: "Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "I don't know if I have ever looked at a screenplay though to see how it is written. (Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to find one if I wanted to)..."You can find screenp..."
Thanks! I will have to check out some screenplays now.
Al wrote: "Mimi wrote: "Al wrote: "Get rid of dialog tags and give each character his/her own voice.Great articles. Thanks for sharing! Aloha Friday! :-))"
You're welcome. Let's hear it for FRIDAY!!!! Or ..."
Al, your comment made me smile. Thanks!
Mary wrote: "Al, your comment made me smile. Thanks! .."I wish there was a "like" button here :-D
Jay wrote: "Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "I don't know if I have ever looked at a screenplay though to see how it is written. (Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to find one if I wanted to)..."You can find screenp..."
Thanks, Jay. Good input. I've read some about screen plays and it is a completely different world from our written genres. Again as Lyn, Stephanie and Al have mentioned there are ways to write GOOD dialogue. I do try to identify the speaker early in a long dialogue if I think the reader may be confused - like when there are more than two characters in the discussion. Also, I think how we set up our characters is important as to what terminology they will use in a setting. For example a doctor may call a wound a "shallow laceration" where a detective would call it a "non-penetrating wound" and a young girl might label it "bloody gash". All correct and keeping in character. :o) Just some thoughts - Rory
Great stuff here. Get into your characters, and let them do the speaking. Then go for clarity as you transcribe. The most difficult thing for me is a three or four person dialogue. One other thing: in trying to be clear, it is easy to become tiresome. It is a matter of balancing art and craft.
I have enjoyed reading everyone's input on dialogue. It gives me a lot to think about.
Let's Talk Dialogue - Part 3
There is no thermometer or other carefully calibrated instrument that you can use to quantify and qualify dialogue as empirically good.