We’ve all been out in public, minding our own business, when a distinctive voice caught our ear and we just had to listen to what it was saying. As humans, we’re drawn to interesting conversations, and you want your reader to be just as compelled by your book’s dialogue as they are by fascinating people they love to talk to in real life.
Dialogue has the power to establish a character’s voice, express thoughts that can’t be expressed through exposition, and form relationships between characters.
But how do you craft dialogue that feels real and true to your characters while engaging your reader?
Consider Sentence and Paragraph Length
When you’re writing dialogue, it can be tempting to have your characters talk at length. First, because you created your characters and know them so well, you probably have a lot of ideas about what they would say, and you may be eager to include their best lines in your manuscript. Second, since dialogue is an effective way to give the reader information about your characters, you may feel you have to cover a lot of ground in each conversation.
Instead of writing longer, write smarter! Try to write dialogue that mirrors the way people really talk. This varies from person to person, of course. Some people speak in short, clipped sentences while others like to drone on for minutes with barely a breath’s respite. Generally, though, most people speak in short, concise sentences and let the person they’re talking with respond before they go on. If you have a character who is speaking in big, long blocks of dialogue, consider breaking their dialogue up into shorter, more digestible portions so the reader can follow what’s going on more easily.
Don’t Repeat Things the Characters Already Know
Dialogue can be a great way to tell the reader things they need to know about the characters, the world of your book, and the elements of the plot; and dialogue is vital when you’re trying to have a big effect on your readers. Compare the power of these two sentences. First, “Jimmy turned to Jill, and, with a sigh, said, “I love you.” Second, “Jimmy turned to Jill and, with a sigh, told her he loved her.” The first sentence, when Jimmy actually tells Jill he loves her, feels much more immediate and real than the second sentence, when the narrator tells us Jimmy declared his love, which feels passive and removed by comparison.
Writers can sometimes fall into the trap of including information in dialogue that the character who is being spoken to already knows. Watch out for dialogue that includes phrases like “you know,” “I already told you,” and “remember when.” Phrases like these indicate that your speaking character is repeating something that the person they’re talking to already knows, which can leave the dialogue feeling forced rather than natural.
Avoid Creative Dialogue Tags and Adverbs
Dialogue tags are the verbs used to indicate how the dialogue is spoken. The most common ones include “said” and “asked,” but there are countless dialogue tags available to writers. However, even though so many dialogue tags exist, using one of the more common dialogue tags is often the best choice. Why? Varying your dialogue tags and using phrases like “she chortled” and “he threatened” can distract the reader and draw attention away from the dialogue. Use these less common dialogue tags sparingly.
Dialogue tags are the verbs used to indicate how the dialogue is spoken.
In addition, avoid explaining how dialogue was spoken by following your dialogue tag with an adverb. For example, if your character says, “I’m angry,” you can simply use the dialogue tag “he said “rather than “he said angrily.” Since you’re already telling us he’s angry through dialogue, there’s no need to repeat the information.
The Final Check: Read Your Dialogue Out Loud
One surefire way to make sure your dialogue is working is to read it out loud. Find a friend to reenact the dialogue like you’re reading a script, or read both parts yourself! This will help you catch spots where the dialogue feels forced, lengthy, or clunky. Are there any phrases you trip over? Do any of the sentences feel more formal or rehearsed than how most people talk? Your ear can pick up things that your eyes can’t, so reading your dialogue to yourself in the final stage of revision is a great way to make sure it rings true. You can even record yourself using a voice recording app on your phone and listen to it later when you have a little distance from the writing. Ask yourself if it would the the kind of audiobook you’d like to listen to.
Have other questions? Swoon Reads is happy to answer them for you! Check out their writing guide and e-mail them any of your pressing questions on writing, the editorial process, or about publishing in general at swoonreads@macmillanusa.com.
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