In REVISION & SELF-EDITING (a must-have in a writer's library, IMHO), James Scott Bell shares this secret: "Dialogue is the fastest way to improve your fiction." He reminds us that dialogue must be intentional, and we need to know why we're writing it. Here are Bell's 8 essentials for good dialogue:- It is essential to the story. It must advance the plot, reveal character, and reflect theme.
- It comes from one character to another character. Fictional dialogue must not be seen as an attempt to dump information.
- It has conflict or tension. Bell repeats Hitchcock's principle that great dialogue has the dull parts taken out.
- It sounds just right for the piece. Dialogue should keep readers in the story instead of pulling them out.
- It sounds just right for each character. Consider vocabulary, favorite words and expressions, regionalisms, dialect, and syntax.
- It isn't real life speech. Fictional dialogue must have the suggestion of real speech, but every word is purposeful (careful with um and uh).
- It is compressed. Bells suggests that unless a character has a strong reason to run off at the mouth, strive for crispness in word choice.
- It is rich with subtext. Bell states that "In great dialogue, what is unsaid is as important as what is spoken out loud."
Bell reminds us that dialogue in fiction is another form of character action, where the people we create try to further their agendas.
Let's talk. What's your opinion of these essentials, and do you have any dialogue tips you can share?
I don't think any of those were "secrets" so much as common sense.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Julie. The advice is spot on. I would add just one more point, the dialogue has to sound authentic, you can't have a doctor talking like a rockstar, or a teacher using swear words. It has to reflect the character.
ReplyDeleteand what if the teacher does swear? Or the doctor lives like a rockstar? Don't stereotype.
DeleteGreat post, Julie! When I first started writing, all my characters talked like me. It took me a while to figure out that they all have their own unique voices. :) Off to retweet this!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Julie. I find it really hard to stay in view point of the main character when everything he says is in rhyme.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that reading dialogue aloud helps me, even if only to determine whether or not it sounds "right". Good post.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I love the tip about what is unsaid is just as important as what is said.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy dialogue. If done well, it moves the story along and develops the characters too.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes I agree with these, especially #1. I've read books with dialogue that really didn't need to be there; it didn't do anything for the story or the characters. I guess when that happens it means the editor must've gotten tired and gone home then forgot to go through it again, haha.
ReplyDeleteThese are excellent points!! Great post, Julie!!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I've so often seen writers use dialogue for information dumps. It sounds so forced and artificial.
ReplyDeleteI'd say these essentials are spot on! This is excellent advice that we all need to follow.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. I try and have the dialogue both move the story forward and reveal character conflict and development. Not always easy.
ReplyDeleteI LOVES this book. Totally agree with you about being an MUST-HAVE in a writer's library.
ReplyDeleteThese are some great tips, especially since I struggle with dialogue. I can do it, I have to write it, but it isn't my favorite part of the writing process!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see the guidelines laid out so crisply. My first crack at dialogue usually comes out as a real life person would actually say it, but then it's cleaned up so a real life reader can read it without getting irritated!
ReplyDeleteHey, love the daisies. :)
Good advice. It's amazing how many people are not aware of how to write dialogue correctly.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post it made me think about why and how our characters speak and the psychology behind that. Interesting I need to go ponder...
ReplyDeleteReally great advice! Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great concise checklist. I love writing dialogue, it adds yet another dimension to the character.
ReplyDeleteI need that book! This is one of my struggles.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great checklist! It even caused me to reread my wip to see if the dialogue helped to advance the plot!
ReplyDeleteI love writing dialogue! It's my favourite way for my characters to let themselves be known! Love the point about the subtext - hadn't thought as much about that one! Thanks for the list! :)
ReplyDeleteAll very good points. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI think it helps to be reminded of such things. We may already know the essentials, but we may forgot when actually writing dialogue. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteAll good tips. I love writing dialogue, and sometimes have to force myself to end the conversations. I think hearing the characters speak can be just plain fun, too. A lot of great one-liners are born in the dialogue of fabulous books.
ReplyDeleteExcellent tips. Thank you for this. I really enjoy writing dialogue. And reading truly authentic and well written dialogue is such a pleasure. It really makes the characters come alive.
ReplyDeleteRead it out loud! That helps me every time with making sure it's flowing right. I love using dialogue, and love reading dialogue-heavy books--when it's done right. It's the best way to really know the characters~ :o) <3
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely great essential tips for dialogue! #2 is important in that while dialogue CAN impart information, it can't be a dump, or an obvious method to get info across to the reader--especially if it's something the characters already know, and they're only saying it to be informative. ;o) I have to be careful of this in my own writing. Working on it...!
ReplyDeleteThese are really great tips. I love James Scott Bell. I must read his book! I think I'll pick it up between finishing my first draft and revising. :)
ReplyDeleteIn terms of my own tips, I agree with reading out loud. It's helpful to hear it to make sure it sounds natural.
What fantastic advice! I think #6 was a real lesson for me when I worked it out.
ReplyDeleteI love that book! And I appreciate you breaking down a mini-review of dialogue from it. I try to review key fiction techniques on a regular basis!
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to not have all your characters sound the same. Each character needs their own voice.
ReplyDeleteGreat points… and I love the advice from your commenter’s.
ReplyDeleteDialog must be personal to each character… you should get a sense of who that person is by the way he/she talks.
Reading harry potter is a perfect example of “true dialog” and how to make each character come to life by: emotion, words used, and the overall construction of the dialog for each unique character.
I hate reading a book when all the characters sound the same, it really makes it hard to visualize, and connect to them individually.
Great post…
Really important post. I used to info-dump in dialogue all the time. "As you know, Bob..." stuff. And I'd put in every um, er, and ah. Dialogue is so much harder than new writers think. And most of us put in too much.
ReplyDeletePrecisely.
ReplyDeleteJust leave it to Bell. :)
I own his book on Plot and Structure, and it's excellent. I'll look for this one, too!
ReplyDeleteNice reminder: every chararcter has a unique voice, cussing and cursing included. :) Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteAll of Bell's tips are great things to keep in mind when writing dialogue. I also think dialogue can be an opportunity to interject humor -- if appropriate for the character and scene.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I'm going to keep a link to it somewhere so I can refer back to it! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I need to learn to keep sentences short during the action scenes, then let them be longer during character development. There is a time and place for everything and pace often dictates how and when.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of dialogue. I like reading it and writing it. Last year, I took a workshop on dialogue, and realized how much more I could do with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you ! Some great tips here
ReplyDeletexx
great post again Julie....I think I use dialogue to keep a story going when I get stuck but these are great tips....by the way..started LongRidge and the books and course are great. ☺ Hope you're weekend is the best.
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