How to write dialogues is perhaps one of the most popular mysteries for aspiring writers. At first glance, nothing seems complicated: we exchange lines with the people around us every day, one said, the other replied… And then it turns out that inventing “lively,” realistic conversations for other people is not so easy.
So, the big question is simply, “What is bad dialogue and how do you make good dialogue out of it?” Let’s look at examples from the classics and consider the rules for framing a conversation in a literary text.
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What is bad dialogue and how to make good dialogue out of it?
The main problems of writing dialogue
Dialogue is an element of a work of fiction that requires special attention and careful elaboration. And the main condition for quality dialogue – nothing unnecessary. Just a couple of unnecessary phrases will make the conversation boring and tedious, the reader will have a desire to skip it.
Redundancy can manifest itself in the following forms:
Lack of meaning.1 If it is possible to do without a line, you should not litter the text with it. Each phrase should have a semantic load in order to become a feature of the dialogue.
The young people exchanged greetings:
– Hello!
– Hello!
– How are you doing?
– Slowly.
– I’m doing great. What have you been up to?
– I went fishing with the guys.
– Wow!
Let’s limit ourselves to one phrase: “Heroes said hello.”
A similar problem – the repetition of the same thought.
– Nathan refused to participate, hiding the reason.
– Only replied: I refuse?
– Yes: I refuse.
– I’m surprised. Perhaps he was misunderstood?
Exceptions occur, but try to avoid meaningless excesses.
The presence of constructions that are not common in colloquial speech.
Strive for naturalness. Do not use in the dialogue of compound sentences, participles, de-particular turns and expressions not used in everyday speech.
– Your diet is unbalanced, it lacks the necessary amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and micronutrients, so important for the development of a young growing body.
It is more correct to write, “Eat healthy food.”
The clause refers to outdated expressions.
- Rich people,” sighed the event organizer.
Excessive attribution.
Minimize the use of the verb “said” and its synonyms.
- I feel better here,” said the girl.
- Stay here. It’s quieter in New York,” replied the young officer.
Another mistake is the use of adverbs that duplicate the verb in meaning.
- I’ll have it out with you! – The pirate grinned angrily.
Another option – be sure to emphasize the “emotional” attributes in the dialogue.
- You old drunkard! – John blurted out.
- Well, hang in there, boy,” shouted the old man, turning purple.
Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to add “sentiments” to a direct speech, but it’s a mauvais ton to accompany every utterance.
Retelling someone else’s speech
If a character’s speech is retold by another character, try to use indirect speech. Dialogue as a form does not suffer from this.
– I saw Jim. He asked me, “Why did you ignore my calls?” – “I was busy with work,” I lied.
Substitute for:
– I met Jim today. He asked me why I wasn’t returning his calls. I lied that I was busy at work.
Inappropriate Situation
There are often scenes in movies where the villain has almost defeated the hero, but then decides to drag out a fifteen-minute tirade about plans to conquer the world. This scheme is used quite often. In life, however, even the most tense situation is discussed more prosaically.
– Fire has taken over the building, people are left inside!
– Hand me the pump, please, Dick.
In a crisis, statements become more succinct.
– The building’s on fire and there are people inside!
– Pump, now!
Speech distortions
Be careful to convey accents or pronunciation patterns. If the reader has difficulty reading the line “P’ek’ak’aznaya ka’tina!”, then limit yourself to mentioning that the character is carding
Obscene vocabulary and slang 1If the character, for example, incessantly “babbles in French,” the reader may not “catch” what we’re talking about at all. Use argot to create colorful secondary characters is acceptable, but read the specific dialogues a few paragraphs in a row – it is difficult and does not fit the format. The use of swear words is one of these things: their abundance repulses the audience.