Dialogues

Realistic Dialogues

Believable Russian Accent

Don’t use dialogue tags. Seriously, try writing a fictional story with 2 or more characters and zero dialogue tags.

For those that don’t know the terminology, dialogue tags are: he said, she asked, I screamed, Brian muttered, etc.

A fellow author told me this trick, and it improved my writing more than any other single piece of advice. When you stop using dialogue tags, not only does it read smoother, but suddenly you have to do two things with every bit of dialogue; 1) convey tone strictly through the dialogue and no tag, and 2) let the reader know who’s talking.

If you’re decent at writing dialogue, then you’re probably already conveying tone anyway. In my case, I think I was decent at writing dialogue, but when I tried to cut out dialogue tags, I still became more cognizant of how my word choices indicated tone.

Letting the reader know who’s talking is trickier, but finding a way to do it without dialogue tags improves your writing immensely IMHO. The best way to indicate who is talking (without the tag) is to pair that dialogue with a piece of narration about the character that’s speaking.

Example:

Because you’re not using dialogue tags, you’re forced to think about what your characters are physically doing as they’re talking. Too many times, authors forget about all the interesting little movements and mannerisms people have. That body language can tell your reader just as much as the dialogue itself, especially when it comes to conveying emotion.

Just don’t overdo it. When you’ve got back-to-back dialogue, it’s assumed that if you don’t have a dialogue tag or narration to indicate a new person is talking, then it’s just the same two characters going back and forth, even if somebody else is in the room.

And as with all rules, there are exceptions. Especially in a scene with a bunch of characters, sometimes it really is best to just throw a dialogue tag in there once in a while and move on.

When it comes to dialogue attribution, do people prefer “said __”, or “__ said”? Why?

I don’t have a preference, and I can’t see why anyone would. Why be dogmatic when you can be practical instead? Use whatever tool is appropriate for the task at hand. I don’t have a preference for hammers over wrenches. It depends on whether I want to pound or tighten. If my goal is to focus the reader’s attention on the fact that Bill is talking, I may write, “Bill said, ‘I’m hungry.’” If, instead, the point is the his hunger, I’ll write, “‘I’m hungry,’ said Bill.” Also, the two create differing levels of suspense: “Listen,” Bill said. “You’re a beautiful girl. I don’t want to beat around the bush, so I’m just gonna ask. Will you sleep with me?” She said, “No.” “Listen,” Bill said. “You’re a beautiful girl. I don’t want to beat around the bush, so I’m just gonna ask. Will you sleep with me?”  “No,” she said.

What are some tips for writing dialogue without using narrative?

https://www.quora.com/profile/Marcus-Geduld Marcus Geduld, Assisted a BBC director, son of a film historian. 518 Views Tips. 1. Characters use words to achieve goals – to get what they want or need. See:  Marcus Geduld’s answer to What are some things that actors and actresses know that most people might not? or “A Practical Handbook for the Actor,” which is a great book for writers, too.http://www.amazon.com/Practical-… Conflict comes when two characters want opposing things or when one character wants something that, inadvertently, thwarts another character’s goal. That will cause the first character to have to change tactics. So give each character a want: let’s say Mike wants sex: “Please have sex with me,” he said. Dramatic tension occurs when Amy says, “No.” But the scene will be over if she then walks out of the room, so maybe she wants something from Mike, too. “Please have sex with me,” he said. “No,” said Amy, “But will you sell me that painting? I really want it!”

  1. Most people are acutely aware of themselves as social creatures, existing in a society of rules and norms. Which is why they don’t talk the way Mike did, above. In fact, he sounds like someone with extreme Aspergers – or like the mentally-ill hero of “A Beautiful Mind.” Most people in his position, though they might crave sex, will understand that they’ll be unlikely to get what they want if they just come out and say it. So people tend to communicate indirectly. “Are you hungry?” Mike asked. “Not really,” said Amy. “Is that a Picasso?”
  2. People have internal pressures that often thwart their goals. As much as Mike wants sex with Amy, he might also be embarrassed to broach the subject. Or maybe he was raised in a conservative, religious home, and he thinks sexual desire is evil.  “Are you hungry?” Mike asked. “Or, rather… Actually, I have to go.” “Wait a sec,” said Amy. “I wanted to ask you about that Painting.” If you’re willing to mix narrative with dialog, you can create some really interesting effects: Mike couldn’t take his eyes off Amy’s legs. “I have to go,” he said. “Wait a sec,” said Amy. “I wanted to ask you about that painting.”  In his mind, he saw her naked body. He imagined cupping her breasts in his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said. “We’ll have to talk later. I just remembered something I have to do.”
  3. People rarely understand their own motivations. A huge beef I have with Hollywood nowadays is all the psychobabble in movies, in which people tritely (but supposedly correctly) analyze their own motives or the motives of others. In real life, people don’t directly discuss motivation all that often, and when they do, they often get it wrong. So if you must have characters discuss their inner lives and drives, it’s much more interesting if they don’t know themselves than if they do. “I don’t get it,” said Amy. “You asked me here. Now you’re leaving?” “I know. I know,” said Mike. “I’m sorry. I … I just. You see, it was a misunderstanding. I thought I needed to tell you something.” “Like what?” asked Amy. Mike said, “Oh. It’s not important. I just. You know. A work issue. It’s all cleared up now. I don’t need to bother you about it.”
  4. People often don’t talk in complete sentences. In a story, you do have to make sure that the reader isn’t confused, but within that constraint, it’s fun to play around with the many ways people can be inarticulate. “Are you, you know…” said Mike. “Are you hungry?” “Hungry?” asked Amy. “No, I just … I mean. What time is it?” “Just after three.”  “I had a late dinner, so…” “Dinner?” “I mean’t lunch. I don’t know why I said – “ There was a pause. Mike looked at his arm. He said, “Nhh.” Then he realized that wasn’t a word and said, “Well. Nice talking to you. I have to … you know.” “That painting’s nice,” said Amy. “Is it … ?” “Yes,” Mike said quickly. “He painted it just a couple of years before he died.” “It’s an original?” Amy asked. “Not a – “ “Oh. Yes! It’s definitely… It’s from Sotheby’s, and … I can tell you. It cost –” “I bet!” said Amy. “So you wouldn’t think of selling it?” “Selling it?” “Yes, well. I was just … you know. I’m just curious. I’m not – “ “No. I know. I didn’t think you were…”
  5. Not everyone talks the same way. You can express individual personalities by varying the ways your characters talk. Maybe in a sea of babbling, there’s one character who is always coherent. (Or almost always. If he always speaks in complete sentences, it will be really telling when he suddenly can’t.) Characters can have wildly different vocabularies. One character might speak in short, clipped sentences while another might speak in long, baroque ones with all sorts of parenthetical thoughts.  “It occurred to me,” said Mike, “that you might be thinking, ‘a slice of beef wellington and a pinot noir would be welcome,’ and I took the liberty of laying on a spread in the kitchen.” “Oh,” said Amy.

Metaphors are your friends:

He savaged the drums.

He struck the ball with the force of a red-hot hammer striking an anvil.

His hands flew from the base drum, to the snare drum, to the cymbals. It was impossibly fast, as if he was running from New York to San Francisco and back in the blink of an eye.

I know he hit the ball, because I saw it approach him, I saw him tense, and, a moment later, I saw the ball rocketing away from him. He must have made his move between units of time.

23 March 2020