A Quick Note on Dialogue in Fiction Writing for the Novice Writer by Ryker J. Phoenix

 

 A Quick Note on Dialogue in Fiction Writing for the Novice Writer

 

by Ryker J. Phoenix

 

Dialogue is one of the most essential elements of fiction writing. It holds the power to bring characters to life and helps readers feel connected to the narrative. It is through dialogue that the characters can express their thoughts, emotions and reactions to the situations they face in the story. This article will discuss the significance of dialogue in fiction writing and how it helps in the creation of a compelling story.

One of the primary functions of dialogue in fiction writing is to reveal the character's personalities, their relationships, and their motivations. The way a character speaks can tell a reader a great deal about them. For instance, if a character is prone to using slang or speaking in a vulgar manner, it can reveal their social status or background, their level of education or experience. Dialogue can also demonstrate a character's personality traits such as wit, humour, impatience, anxiety, etc. For instance, a character who makes humorous quips without thinking may be seen as irreverent, while another who pauses and reflects before speaking may be seen as introspective.

Furthermore, dialogue is critical in fiction writing because it brings a sense of realism to the story and helps readers feel connected to the characters. Dialogue can transport the reader into the story world and make them feel like they are part of the conversation. It can enhance the emotional impact of a scene by adding depth and resonance to the characters' emotions. Dialogue can allow readers to relate to characters, which is essential for creating compelling stories.

Dialogue in fiction is also essential for advancing the plot of a story. Characters speak for a reason, and it is through dialogue that actions take place. Dialogue can lead to revelations, conflicts, confrontations, and decisions, all of which move the story forward. Without dialogue, the story could feel stagnant, and the characters would never move beyond the opening scenes.

Finally, dialogue brings pacing and tension to a story. Good dialogue is snappy, terse, and full of tension. It keeps readers on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. Dialogue can build suspense, evolve subplots within the main plot, and add richness to the story. It offers readers a break from long paragraphs of description and action and provides fresh voices, which invigorate a story’s plot.

In conclusion, dialogue is an essential aspect of creating good fiction writing. It reveals characters, advances the plot, and brings a sense of realism to the story. Dialogue is also a powerful way to engage readers, enhance emotional impact, and create tension. Writing good dialogue is a skill that writers can use to bring their characters to life and keep readers connected and engaged with the story.

 

Also see:

• How to Write Dialogue: 7 Great Tips for Writers (With Examples)

 

 More Quick Notes for the Novice Writer

Writing Subtext in Dialogue (Video)

Writing Subtext in Dialogue

“It’s not what you say; it’s what you don’t say.”

Subtext involves the hidden feelings beneath spoken words—anger, love, mistrust—all the emotions characters don’t dare admit aloud. It can add sizzle to drab dialogue and make the speakers sound like real people. If you’ve ever been told your conversation scenes feel “too on the nose,” this video is for you.

What Is Subtext? (0:00)
Body Language (1:05)
Secondary Emotion (3:51)
Sugarcoating (5:37)
Implied Accusation (7:51)
Passive Agressiveness (9:27)
Why We Use Subtext (11:55)
Writing Exercise (13:16)

Dialogue Tags with Adverbs

Inexperienced authors often add adverbs to their dialogue tags, such as, "He shouted angrily." But good writing doesn't need adverbs to make your readers understand how your characters are thinking or feeling. Your dialogue should be strong enough to convey that emotion by itself.

If your meaning isn't clear without an adverb, then you need to re-examine the content of your dialogue to make it more effective. Here's an example of using an adverb with a dialogue tag:

• "I can't believe you forgot my birthday," Mary said angrily.

You should aim to keep your use of adverbs to under 12% of your dialogue tags.

Removing Adverbs From Your Dialogue Tags

If more than 12% of your dialogue tags have adverbs, it's time to remove some of those adverbs. To do so, take a hard look at your writing.

When possible, you should try to omit dialogue tags completely. Dialogue tags can distract your reader and interrupt the flow of your dialogue.

Ask yourself, "Does the reader need this dialogue tag to know who is speaking?" If they don't, you can get rid of the dialogue tag. You may cut down on your adverbs with dialogue tags by just removing dialogue tags in general. Let's rework our example:

• Mary slammed her hand on the table. "I can't believe you forgot my birthday."

What about instances when you definitely want to keep the dialogue tag?

• "It's okay, I'm on my way home now," she said soothingly.

In these cases, see if you can beef up the dialogue and lose the adverb:

• "You just sit tight and pop the kettle on for me," she said. "I'll be home before you know it."

 

Common Questions about Dialogue Tags with Adverbs

 

Can I use adverbs with dialogue tags?

 

Learn more about Dialogue:

• Dialogue Tags
•  Dialogue Tags with Adverbs
•  Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

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Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

Dialogue tags are words like "said" and "asked" that show the reader who is doing the talking. The problem is that dialogue tags also distract from the dialogue itself, especially if they are nonstandard dialogue tags like "shouted," "whispered," "repeated," "ventured," and more. Instead of using dialogue tags to tell the emotions of the character, you should show their emotions through their actions and dialogue.

Showing emotions makes your writing more engaging. Take a look at this chart we put together based on analysis of published fiction.

 

As you can see, published authors use "said" as their dialogue tag over 60% of the time. The second most used is "asked" at just under 10%. The other, nonstandard dialogue tags are used only used a small proportion of the time. Because of this data, we recommend keeping your use of dialogue tags other than "said" and "asked" to under 20% of your dialogue tags.

How Nonstandard Dialogue Tags Distract Your Reader

Good writing shows the reader how characters feel rather than telling the reader how the characters feel. When you "show" rather than "tell," you engage your reader more in your text because the reader gets to make inferences and use their imagination more.

Consider the following examples:

Example 1

"You left me alone at the party," Jessica spat at her boyfriend.

"You were mad at me," Mark said as he looked as his phone.

Jessica yelled, "This is over!"

Example 2

Jessica glared at her boyfriend as he played on his phone. "You left me alone at that party."

"You were mad at me," Mark said without looking up.

Jessica stormed towards the door. "This is over."

The second example lets the reader connect more with the characters. Instead of telling the reader exactly how the characters are feeling, the writer lets their actions do the talking. As a reader, you get a better sense of the characters as fully developed beings.

 

Common Questions about Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

Why should I stick to "said" and "asked" as my dialogue tags?

 

Learn more about Dialogue:

• Dialogue Tags
•  Dialogue Tags with Adverbs
•  Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

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A grammar guru, style editor, and writing mentor in one package.

 

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Resources

Word ExplorerCollocation DictionaryWord Cloud GalleryWriting ResourcesGrammar GuideWriting TechniquesGrammar Checker

Using Dialogue Tags

Dialogue tags are words like "said" and "asked" that identify the speaker. They are necessary to help readers understand and follow conversations. But it's a delicate balance: if you overuse dialogue tags, you risk distracting your reader from your story.

A dialogue tag is like a street sign. You don't need to see a street sign every few feet along the road. You only need street signs when you approach new roads different from the one you’re on so you know where you're going.

You only need dialogue tags when you need to identify who's talking. If who's speaking is obvious to the reader, then skip the dialogue tags. We recommend using tags in less than 15% of your dialogue.

Why Overusing Dialogue Tags Is Bad

Dialogue tags can distract your reader. Your dialogue tags should be almost invisible. Here’s an example of overused dialogue tags:

"Where are you going?" asked Monica.
"I’m off to the store," said Chandler.
"Who’s all going with you?" asked Monica.
"Just Joey and Ross," said Chandler.

It's distracting to use dialogue tags with each sentence. Because there are only two people involved in the conversation, the last two sentences don’t need the tags. Having dialogue tags only serves to interrupt the flow of the dialogue and distract your reader.

Here's how you can change it:

"Where are you going?" asked Monica.
"I’m off to the store," said Chandler.
"Who’s all going with you?"
"Just Joey and Ross."

It’s obvious who’s talking in the third and fourth sentences without using dialogue tags.

Great dialogue shouldn't need more than a few dialogue tags. If more than 15% of your dialogue has dialogue tags, it's time to remove some!

Common Questions about Dialogue Tags

 

Should I use dialogue tags in my writing?

 

Learn more about Dialogue:

• Dialogue Tags
•  Dialogue Tags with Adverbs
•  Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

Your Personal Writing Coach

A grammar guru, style editor, and writing mentor in one package.

 

Try for free today

 

 

 

Resources

Word ExplorerCollocation DictionaryWord Cloud GalleryWriting ResourcesGrammar GuideWriting TechniquesGrammar Checker

"Let's Talk About Dialogue,'' He Pontificated by Crawford Kilian

"Let's Talk About Dialogue,'' He Pontificated 

by Crawford Kilian

 

Dialogue has to sound like speech, but it can't be a mere transcript; most people don't speak precisely or concisely enough to serve the writer's needs. Good dialogue has several functions:

• To convey exposition: to tell us, through the conversations of the characters, what we need to know to make sense of the story.
• To convey character: to show us what kinds of people we're dealing with.
• To convey a sense of place and time: to evoke the speech patterns, vocabulary and rhythms of specific kinds of people.
• To develop conflict: to show how some people use language to dominate others, or fail to do so.

Each of these functions has its hazards. Expository dialogue can be dreadful:

``We'll be in Vancouver in thirty minutes,'' the flight attendant said. ``It's Canada's biggest west coast city, with a population of over a million in the metropolitan area.''

Dialogue can convey character, but the writer may bog down in chatter that doesn't advance the story.

``When I was a kid,'' said Julie, ``I had a stuffed bear named Julius. He was a sweet old thing, and whenever I was upset I'd howl for him.'' (Unless Julie is going to howl for Julius when her husband leaves her, this kind of remark is pointless.)

Dialogue that conveys a specific place and time can become exaggerated and stereotyped:

``Pretty hot ootside, eh?'' remarked Sergeant Renfrew of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. ``Good day to get oot of the hoose and oot on the saltchuck, eh? Catch us a couple of skookum salmon, eh?''

Dialogue that develops conflict has to do so while also conveying exposition, portraying character, and staying true to the time and place:

``Gadzooks,'' said Sergeant Renfrew as he dismounted from his motorcycle. ``Wouldst please present thy driver's licence and registration, madam?''

``Eat hot lead, copper!'' snarled Sister Mary Agnes as she drew the .45 from within her habit.

Some Dialogue Hazards to Avoid:

• Too much faithfulness to speech: ``Um, uh, y'know, geez, well, like, well.''
• Unusual spellings: ``Yeah,'' not ``Yeh'' or ``Yea'' or ``Ya.''
• Too much use of ``he said,'' ``she said.''
• Too much variation: ``he averred,'' ``she riposted''
• Dialect exaggeration: ``Lawsy, Miz Scahlut, us's wuhkin' jes' as fas' as us kin.''
• Excessive direct address: ``Tell me, Marshall, your opinion of Vanessa.'' ``I hate her, Roger.'' ``Why is that, Marshall?'' ``She bullies everyone, Roger.''

Some Dialogue Conventions to Consider:

Each new speaker requires a new paragraph, properly indented and set off by quotation marks.

``Use double quotations,'' the novelist ordered, ``and remember to place commas and periods inside those quotation marks.''

``If a speaker goes on for more than one paragraph,'' the count responded in his heavy Transylvanian accent, ``do not close off the quotation marks at the end of the first paragraph.

``Simply place quotation marks at the beginning of the next paragraph, and carry on to the end of the quotation.''

Use ``he said'' expressions only when you must, to avoid confusion about who's speaking. You can signal increasing tension by moving from ``he said'' to ``he snapped,'' to ``he snarled,'' to ``he bellowed furiously.'' But the dialogue itself should convey that changing mood, and make such comments needless.

Action as well as speech is a part of dialogue. We expect to know when the speakers pause, where they're looking, what they're doing with their hands, how they respond to one another. The characters' speech becomes just one aspect of their interactions; sometimes their words are all we need, but sometimes we definitely need more. This is especially true when you're trying to convey a conflict between what your characters say and what they feel: their nonverbal messages are going to be far more reliable than their spoken words.

Speak your dialogue out loud; if it doesn't sound natural, or contains unexpected rhymes and rhythms, revise it.

Rely on rhythm and vocabulary, not phonetic spelling, to convey accent or dialect.

If you are giving us your characters' exact unspoken thoughts, use italics. If you are paraphrasing those thoughts, use regular Roman type):

Now what does she want? he asked himself. Isn't she ever satisfied? Marshall wondered what she wanted now. She was never satisfied.

If you plan to give us a long passage of inner monologue, however, consider the discomfort of having to read line after line of italic print. If you wish to emphasize a word in a line of italics, use Roman: Isn't she ever satisfied?

Except from "Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Kilian."

 

 About the Author 

Crawford Kilian was born in New York City in 1941. He moved to Canada in 1967 and now resides in Vancouver B.C. Crawford has had twelve science fiction and fantasy novels published. He has been nominated for an Aurora Award 3 times for his novels Eyas, Lifter and Rogue Emperor- A Novel of the Chronoplane Wars. His latest contribution to SF is a non-fiction book for would-be SF writers called Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy. Crawford has two more novels in the works.

To learn more about him at Wikipedia.

 

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Crawford Kilian Books at Amazon

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