Writing Dialogue

Ms. Haiku

I have an imagination, but I'm also introverted. For those that are introverted, do you have a problem writing dialogue? I've heard conversations for almost 40 years, but I just can't seem to write dialogue without it seeming cliched.

FinsburyParkCarrots

That depends on your characters, their environment, their education, their time setting, and the person or persons with whom they're conversing. If you were speaking to someone in Detroit, for example, you'd speak slowly and avoid words of more than one syllable.

Ms. Haiku

FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:

That depends on your characters, their environment, their education, their time setting, and the person or persons with whom they're conversing. If you were speaking to someone in Detroit, for example, you'd speak slowly and avoid words of more than one syllable.

Watch it Fins! I used to live near Detroit.

So, dialogue gets the story to flow, but it's just a part, right? So, say someone was thinking of the time right then and there, and there is no one else around, what type of dialogue would there be? It must encompass more than just a person talking with another person, right? What would *dialogue* between a person and a moment look like?

Ms. Haiku

When I think dialogue one of the first books that comes to mind is "How Green Was My Valley." I just remember how the dialogue was crucial.

Zadie Smith is a master at dialogue
Anita Brookner is probably a master of dialogue but it's not as crucial as it is in Zadie Smith books
Michael Ondaatje I remember more for the poetry of the writing, the dialogue is sparsely used.

Anyone else think of contemporary authors who master dialogue? I mean poetic dialogue, though, really really good dialogue that will be remembered for eons.

Ms. Haiku

Another question is the importance of dialogue in a short story versus a novel. What do you think? Is it a mute point?

FinsburyParkCarrots

Ah, but you escaped!

Now, take a situation where two siblings haven't seen each other for years. One is a reformed character with a past, the other is still a con-artist and crook. They meet, start to talk over old times, and start to argue. How would you pace that dialogue, to go from cagey, to semi-comfortable, to there being a spark, to a full-flown confrontation, to a realisation of there being nothing in common?

You'd have to make use of dynamics: short, brief sentences with pauses; longer sentences, when the characters open up; more disjointed sentences when an argument or communication breakdown happens; short, vituperative sentences when they're arguing; maybe a long speech by someone venting; then, long pauses signifying the breakdown of the relationship.

As for the dialect you use, try and think in terms of the conversational, vernacular language your character(s) might use. Avoid being "writerly" with dialogue, unless your characters are both professors. If your characters are in a work place, you could have one character mocking the other's use of workplace jargon.

FinsburyParkCarrots

Ms. Haiku wrote:

Another question is the importance of dialogue in a short story versus a novel. What do you think? Is it a mute point?

Well, often in short stories, it's what characters don't say to each other that counts. Subtext and suspense often drive the plot.

Ms. Haiku

Definitely food for thought. Thanks!

Ms. Haiku

Could you create an exercise for dialogue - - - you know one that's easy for us walking down the path away from our histories?

FinsburyParkCarrots

I'll think one up, tomorrow!

DopeBeastie

I'm horrible with writing dialogue... and I haven't much imagination, either. Unless of course we're talking fabricating intent, lol...

good luck miss haiku!

#X.

Introvert, Is that what my problem is? #X.

gue_barium

You could do what I do. Post Q's and A's to yourself, for practice.

Brain of J.Lo

I think dialogue is the most difficult thing to write. And judging by the shitty dialogue I used to read in my writing workshops in college, other people feel that way, too!

I think it can be difficult to really "play" two different roles in a conversation.

But the more I have developed my characters (through character sketches and through just imagining them in real life situations) prior to writing, the easier I find it to write natural dialogue.

Ms. Haiku

Brain of J.Lo wrote:

I think dialogue is the most difficult thing to write. And judging by the shitty dialogue I used to read in my writing workshops in college, other people feel that way, too!

I think it can be difficult to really "play" two different roles in a conversation.

But the more I have developed my characters (through character sketches and through just imagining them in real life situations) prior to writing, the easier I find it to write natural dialogue.

I think that will help me a lot. I usually don't really think of the big picture of my characters. I just know they are there. If I imagined them talking to me, then I could probably write dialogue like I can write description of a table.

Brain of J.Lo

Ms. Haiku wrote:

I think that will help me a lot. I usually don't really think of the big picture of my characters. I just know they are there. If I imagined them talking to me, then I could probably write dialogue like I can write description of a table.

I used to be the same way. But then I really started fleshing them out before I started writing, and just really trying to get inside their heads, and it vastly improved my dialogue. And it improved my writing overall. It was a pretty big breakthrough for me, actually.

One of the ways I got into doing this was by trying to write a story from the perspective of a character that was extremely different from me. For example, I wrote a story from a child's perspective. Doing that really forced me to consider every detail of the world through an 11 yr old girl's eyes. Once you really understand your character's take on the world, that really drives the dialogue. And then it'll sound much more natural.

Ms. Haiku

Brain of J.Lo wrote:

I used to be the same way. But then I really started fleshing them out before I started writing, and just really trying to get inside their heads, and it vastly improved my dialogue. And it improved my writing overall. It was a pretty big breakthrough for me, actually.

One of the ways I got into doing this was by trying to write a story from the perspective of a character that was extremely different from me. For example, I wrote a story from a child's perspective. Doing that really forced me to consider every detail of the world through an 11 yr old girl's eyes. Once you really understand your character's take on the world, that really drives the dialogue. And then it'll sound much more natural.

That's a good idea. I'm going to try that.

One of my characters in my Bibliobella poems is "evil man." Imagine if I tried to see the world through his eyes, and I was comfortable with it.

Eeeeek! Time for a new hobby!

Brain of J.Lo

Ms. Haiku wrote:

That's a good idea. I'm going to try that.

One of my characters in my Bibliobella poems is "evil man." Imagine if I tried to see the world through his eyes, and I was comfortable with it.

Eeeeek! Time for a new hobby!

lol, well that's part of the fun of being a writer! you get to say, do and be things you never would in real life.

Ms. Haiku

I tried to *meet* some of my poetry characters, and I became bashful. Oddness for sure.

It's just a lack of confidence, I realized. So, I decided to first meet them in a place that's comfortable for them, but doing something that I can relate to. The first thing I find out about them is what music they like:

Bibliobella - Flamenco, likes to listen to it in her kitchen
Paolo - Flamenco/Baroque guitar likes to listen to it as he's gardening
Sophia Superniece - will evolve into a Cure fan
Eva and Ferdinand - I think they like opera, not sure what
Evil Man - whatever costs the most to produce

In person what breaks the ice for me is talking about concerts/music . . . besides food of course So, this is probably a good way for me to go about developing my relationship with my characters.