You’ll rue the day an agent or editor dismisses your
manuscript or a reader shuts your novel because your dialogue fails to do its
job. You want your dialogue to move the story forward and reveal traits of your
characters. You want it to compel your reader.
Don’t take the easy way by explaining your dialogue to your
reader. When you do, it lays limp on the page and pulls the reader out of the
story. Step back and give your readers a chance to draw conclusions from the
dialogue and the story action. Let them get involved in the story.
One thing to keep in the back of your mind while you write
is to Resist the Urge to Explain (R.U.E.). Stick with the tried and true “said”
attributes to clarify which character is speaking. They work like a punctuation
mark, blending into the sentence. Most of the time, readers move right over it.
For example,
“It costs too much,” Jenna said.
The next thing you want to avoid is the dreaded –ly words.
“It costs too much,” Jenna said angrily.
The minute the adverb “angrily” enters the scene, your
reader stops. They’re being told how Jenna feels, but they can’t feel it
themselves. So, they dig into their imagination or use their personal reactions
to animate the scene in their head. Since they have to fill in Jenna’s
personality traits, the character never comes alive on the page. Lifeless
characters and constant pauses stall the narrative flow, making it hard for the
reader to get back into the story.
Keep your reader hooked by using sympathy and empathy to connect
the reader to your characters. Your readers don’t need to know, they need to
FEEL! Invest the reader into your story by giving them all the information they
need to see the scene without telling them anything. Instead of saying how the character feels, show the reader how the character feels
through action and reaction.
“It costs too much,” Jenna said angrily.
Vs
“It costs too much.” Jenna slammed her hand on the kitchen
table.
You can now see Jenna’s angry when she slams her hand on the
table, rather than being told she was angry. Diction and body language strengthen
the dialogue scene, bringing it alive so the reader is immersed in the story.
They get to know Jenna and experience the scene as if they’re standing right
there in the kitchen with her.
When you use the physical action to describe how a character
feels during the dialogue scene and clarifies the speaker, it’s called a dialogue beat. Dialogue beats really
help a reader envision the scene.
Keep in mind the use of “said” is almost always the best way
to distinguish between who is speaking in a dialogue scene. You can also infuse
the scene with dialogue beats for better illustration. But don’t get too
carried away. Remember balance. Too many attributes or dialogue beats can pull
the reader out of the scene, too.
Now, until you’ve toned your mental muscles, taking the easy
way out in the first draft is ok. But when you go back in to make revisions,
push yourself and your diction to find a more succinct and powerful way to
convey your characters’ emotion.
What guidelines do
you follow to create compelling dialogue?
Share a snippet of your favorite dialogue from a novel or your own writing.
Browne, Renni and King, Dave. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to edit yourself into print. Harper, 2004: New York.
