New writers are frustrated because the dialogue read by a
friend or family member never sounds like it does in their head.
That is because it is hard to translate a conversation into
words. The writer does not read the dialogue they write, they
hear the characters carry on the conversation in their mind. A
family member can try to read the conversation, but without the
characters talking in their heads, it is impossible to have the
words make sense.
Methods of Communication
One of the reasons why dialogue never sounds right is because
people use non-verbal cues more than the spoken word to convey
information to another person. Most writers forget to use
nonverbal cues in their dialogue. For writers, non verbal cues
include setting, plot, body language, and mood.
How To Correct Dialogue Problems
Step1: Make sure that the non-verbal cues, dialogue,
vocabulary used, setting, props, and character's thoughts all
give the reader the same emotional message and mood.
Step2:Edit the sentence structure. When read out loud,
each character's dialogue should sound a little different, the
sentence structure and dialogue should make it possible to tell
characters apart.
Step3:Dialogue is the one place it is acceptable to
use passive voice. Passive voice is also called telling, because
it is the cadence and vocabulary that society, in general,
speaks in. This is why it is permissible to use passive writing
in dialogue. It is also useful to use passive writing when
describing secondary character's actions. This can make it
easier for readers to keep each character separated.
Step4:Check the paragraph structure. Each character's
dialogue and actions should be in separate paragraphs. It
becomes confusing when a Point of View character's dialogue and
introspection is disrupted by another character's action or
reaction. If this breaks the dialogue up too much, or if the
breaks are too disruptive, then remove all but the most
important ones.
Step5: Make sure the conversation does not change
focus as it progresses. A conversation should have one purpose.
Do not try to tie up several loose ends, or mini-resolutions in
a single conversation.
Step6:Cut all words that are not necessary.
Step7:Dialogue should do more than give information to
the reader. It should reveal something about the character's
personality, and even let the reader see the character's
emotional growth. It is very amateurish to use dialogue to give
back story, or tell an event that happened in the past. However,
revealing a character's emotions, fears, strengths and
weaknesses makes the dialogue more interesting.
Some writers edit one character's dialogue all the way
through a book. They work, one character at a time. This can
help them determine if a character's style changes, if the
character seems to act out of character, and if the
character's actions, reactions, and decisions are not well
motivated or conflict with their personality type.
Dialogue is a powerful tool in the hands of a clever writer.
They can use it to trigger an emotional response from the
story's reader. Dialogue is action. It brings the story to life.
This is common knowledge, but it should also be seen as a way to
bond the main character and the story's reader, removing all
separation, so that the reader can escape into the novel.
