Dialogue

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Sun, 2011-11-06 08:02

Dialogue

Hi guys,

Any quick tips on creating realistic yet snappy dialogue? I find I have been struggling recently, letting it drag on and on, yet never finding a convenient way to close out the conversation/getting my point across.

Any tips gladly accepted.

Alex

Sun, 2011-11-06 11:55

fatboy74

I think one of the best things you can do is spend lots of time having a coffee/tea somewhere listening to real people's conversations; as many as possible and record it in some way without putting yourself in any physical danger - I imagine most people wouldn't enjoy you shoving a dictaphone in their face, so a notepad/laptop would be a better option.

Sun, 2011-11-06 13:58

oldpesky

'Try not to use adverbs in dialogue attribution,' he said despairingly.

Sun, 2011-11-06 16:32

Terrence Oblong

The key to dialogue is getting into the character of the people speaking, so I would say experiment with different types of story, try writing in the first person, I think it's a useful exercise in writing dialogue as it's the narrator plus someone who's not the narrator. Also try writing a straight dialogue, just two people talking, no external authorial involvement. I'm not sure that dialogue has to be 'snappy', just keep it interesting and as fatboy says try to use the voices you hear in your day to day life.

Sun, 2011-11-06 21:30

shep5377

Thanks for that guys. I think I may have used the wrong word with 'snappy', I just meant I struggle to keep it moving. I am interested in what my characters are saying, I think a reader may lose interest before I am done! I will definitely do that writing exercise. I can see that really helping. Thanks!

Sun, 2011-11-06 23:38

andrea

Read it to yourself out loud. If it sounds forced and unnatural, it probably is. http://www.ukauthors.com

http://www.ukauthors.com

http://www.ukapress.com

Wed, 2012-01-04 18:35

tmt

This might help, taken from wordcloud website, http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/Dialogue.html Keep speeches short. If a speech runs for more than 3 sentences or so it risks being too long Keep interchanges oblique, not direct. Ensure that characters speak in their own voice. You can overdo this, of course, but do try to make sure that characters don’t all sound the same as each other. Spice it up. Humour is good. Slang. Banter. A bit of swearing (not too much). Get in late & out early. Don’t bother with all the Hellos, How Are Yous and other small talk. Just say “they greeted each other, before Alice raised the million dollar question." Interruption is good. So too are characters pursuing their own thought processes and not quite engaging with the other. Don’t patronise the reader. He snarled. She simpered. He snapped back. She leered. What rubbish! 98% of the time, just use “he said” or “she said” or nothing at all. If the character is emoting, then that should come over in what they say. TMT

TMT

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