Dialogues play a fundamental role in a story. The writer knows that he must work hard so that the conversations that appear in stories, novels, theatrical and cinematographic scripts are as natural and authentic as those of real life. Dialogues are often used to reveal information to the reader in an interesting and emotionally engaging way. To write a good dialogue, based on the characterization of the characters, read it aloud to check that it is natural and, in general, keep a simple and realistic style.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparing to Write a Dialogue
Step 1. Listen to conversations in everyday reality
Pay attention to how people talk to each other, and use these interactions as a guideline in your conversations so they sound realistic. You will notice that people express themselves differently depending on the individuals they interact with; remember to take this into consideration when you go to write.
- Discard the parts that would not perform well in a written text. For example, it is not necessary to write every single "Hello" and "Goodbye"; some of your dialogue may begin directly with a phrase like, "Did you do it?" or "Why did you do this?".
- Write down short bits of real conversations on a notepad that particularly impress you.
Step 2. Read good dialogue examples
To get an idea of the balance to be achieved between real-life speech and written speech, you should read different dialogues in books and scripts. Try to understand what works (or doesn't work) and why.
- Choose authors whose dialogues seem more natural to you, regardless of what critics or other readers say. If you don't know where to start, try reading the works of Douglas Adams, Toni Morrison and Judy Blume, known for their vivid, realistic and nuanced dialogue.
- A very useful practice is to read and practice writing film or radio scripts, as they are basically based on dialogue. For example, Douglas Adams began writing scripts for the radio; is undoubtedly one of the reasons his dialogues are so extraordinary.
Step 3. Fully develop your characters
You need to get to know a character thoroughly before making him speak. For example, is he taciturn and laconic? Or maybe he likes to use a lot of hard words to make a good impression?
- It is not necessary to include all the characteristics of the character in the work, but it is essential that you know what they are.
- Details such as age, gender, level of education, place of origin and tone of voice affect how a character expresses himself. For example, a teenage girl from a poor family will speak very differently than a wealthy elder.
- Give each character their own distinct voice. They can't all use the same tone, the same vocabulary and the same speech. Make sure everyone expresses themselves in their own particular way.
Step 4. Learn to guard against artificial dialogue
They may not spoil the story, but they risk alienating the reader, something a writer must absolutely avoid. Sometimes this type of dialogue works, but only within a very specific narrative style.
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Artificial dialogues are unnatural conversations in which everything is made explicit and a language is used that no one would use in everyday life. An example:
"Hi, Laura, you look sad today," said Carlo.
«Yes, Carlo, today I am sad. Would you like to know why?"
"Yes, Laura, I would like to know why you are sad today."
"I'm sad because my dog is sick and this reminds me of my father's death two years ago in mysterious circumstances."
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How the conversation should have unfolded:
"Laura, is something wrong?" Carlo asked.
Laura shrugged, keeping her gaze fixed on a spot outside the window.
“My dog is sick. They don't know what it has."
“I'm very sorry, but… well, he's old. Maybe it's just that."
Laura clenched her hands on the windowsill.
"It's just that… it's just that doctors should know, right?"
"You mean the vet?" Carlo asked, perplexed.
"Yes … the vet, yes."
- The second version works better because it does not explain in detail that Laura is thinking of her deceased father, but suggests that this is the correct interpretation - the most obvious clue is Laura's slip, which says "doctors" instead of "veterinarian". Plus, it flows much more smoothly.
- More contrived and rhetorical dialogues can work in works like The Lord of the Rings, where the characters speak in a particularly pompous (and not at all realistic) way. In this case it is a justified choice, since the book is written in a style that follows some ancient epic cycles, such as Beowulf or The Mabinogion.
Part 2 of 3: Writing the Dialogues
Step 1. Introduce direct speech with verbs suited to the tone of the story
Depending on the type of text, it may be preferable to limit oneself to simple declaratives such as "said" or "answered", resorting to more descriptive verbs such as "protested" or "exclaimed" or alternatively use both. Choose the ones you think best fit the context of the work.
Whatever your choice, avoid always using the same verb, otherwise the text would become repetitive and end up boring the reader
Step 2. Use dialogue to get the story going
Conversations between characters should reveal information about their personality or story to the reader. Dialogue is a great way to provide elements that show the evolution or characterization of a character and which may not be otherwise accessible to the reader.
- You should avoid writing unnecessary exchanges, such as pleasantries or comments about the weather, even if they happen often in real conversations. However, it is possible to exploit this type of dialogue in the right way, for example to create tension: let's say that the protagonist ardently wishes to obtain some information from another character, but the latter insists on talking about trivia - both the protagonist and the reader will be increasingly eager to get to the point.
- All dialogue must have a purpose. Every time you write one, ask yourself, "What does it add to the story?"; "What does it communicate to the reader about the plot or characterization of the characters?". If you don't have a good answer to these questions, it means that that dialogue needs to be cut.
Step 3. Do not fill the dialogues with information
This is a typical mistake that many beginners fall into. You may think that the best way to reveal all the information they need to the reader is to have the characters have detailed conversations on the subject. Nothing more wrong! Instead, you have to bring out the various elements in a subtle and gradual way, distributing them throughout the entire narrative.
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An example of what should be avoided:
Laura turned to Carlo and said: "Carlo, do you remember when my father died in mysterious circumstances and my family was thrown out of the house by my evil aunt Agata?"
“I remember it well, Laura. You were only 12 and you had to drop out of school to help your family."
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A better version could be:
Laura turned to Carlo, her lips tightened in a grimace.
"I heard Aunt Agata today."
Carlo was amazed.
"But wasn't she the one who threw your family out of the house?" What does he want?"
"And who knows, but he's started hinting at my father's death."
"Allusions?" Carlo raised an eyebrow.
"Apparently he thinks he didn't die of natural causes."
Step 4. Add some subtext
Conversations don't have a single dimension, especially in stories; they usually reveal more than is explicitly stated. So make sure that in every situation there are implicit and implied meanings.
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Something can be expressed in many different ways. For example, if you want one character to tell another that he needs him, have him communicate this without explicitly saying "I need you". You could write:
Carlo headed for the car. Laura put her hand on his arm; he bit his lip nervously.
"Carlo, I … Do you really have to leave so soon?" he asked, withdrawing his hand. "We haven't decided what to do yet."
- Characters don't have to say everything they feel or think: you would reveal too much information and the text would lose suspense and subtlety.
Step 5. Move conversations
The dialogues must be compelling and engage the reader. Don't dwell on mundane interactions, like an exchange of comments about the weather at the bus stop, but focus on the juicier parts, like a confrontation between Laura and the treacherous Aunt Agata.
- Get characters to have discussions or say something surprising (but make sure they stay consistent with their characterization). The dialogues must be interesting: if everyone agrees with everyone or does nothing but ask and answer trivialities, the result will be deadly boredom.
- Insert actions in the dialogue. While they are talking, people perform a variety of actions, be it fiddling with an object, laughing, washing dishes, tripping, etc. Add elements of this kind to give the dialogue more vitality and verisimilitude.
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For instance:
"You certainly won't believe that a big man in perfect health like your father could have fallen ill and died so suddenly!" laughed Aunt Agata.
Trying to stay calm, Laura replied, "Sometimes people just get sick."
"And sometimes they get a little push from their friends."
His tone was so smug that Laura wanted to reach her through the handset to strangle her.
"Aunt Agata, if someone really killed him, do you know who it was?"
"Oh, well, I have some ideas, but I'll let you figure it out yourself."
Part 3 of 3: Review and Correct
Step 1. Read the dialogue aloud
This way you can see how the conversation really sounds and make changes based on what you hear as well as what you see. Allow some time after you finish the dialogue before reading it, otherwise you will tend to sense what you intended to write, not what you actually wrote.
Ask a friend or family member you trust to read the dialogue. An external reader will be able to tell you if it is smooth and effective or if it needs changes
Step 2. Use punctuation correctly
There is nothing more annoying to the reader (particularly editors and literary agents) than a bad use of punctuation, especially in dialogue.
- The typographical sign most used to delimit direct speech are the low quotation marks, or corporals. You can put the comma after the corporals or not (the important thing is to be consistent for the entire text). For example: "Hi, my name is Laura," said the woman; or: "Hi, my name is Laura," the woman said.
- If there is a break in direct speech, it is possible to end it with a period or not, depending on whether it is between two independent sentences or within a single sentence: "I can't believe he killed my father," said Laura, eyes full of tears. "It wouldn't be like him"; or, "I can't believe he killed my father," said Laura, her eyes full of tears, "because it wouldn't be like him."
- If the direct speech is not followed by a declarative verb, but only by an action, it must be concluded with a period inside the quotation marks. For example: "Have a good day, Aunt Agata." Laura slammed the phone in her face.
Step 3. Cut out any unnecessary words or phrases
Sometimes, "less is more"! As a rule, people are not verbose, but they tend to say things simply and directly; the same must happen in your dialogues.
For example, instead of writing, "I can't believe, after all these years, that it was Uncle Erminio who killed my father by poisoning his drink," Laura said, you could opt for something like this: "I can't believe Uncle Erminio poisoned my father!"
Step 4. Use dialects with caution
Each character should have their own way of speaking, but excessive use of dialectal or slang forms risks being annoying, if not downright offensive. Also, if you use a dialect that you are not familiar with, you may end up resorting to stereotypes and irritating local speakers.
Make people understand where the characters come from in other ways, perhaps using regionalisms; for example, to mean "skipping school" a Roman would say "make saw", a Piedmontese "cut". Make sure you use the correct vocabulary and jargon based on the character's geographic origin
Advice
- Find resources that can help you write good dialogue. Sign up for a creative writing class or consult books and websites that offer advice on how to improve your technique.
- Check if there are any writing classes or groups in your area, including scriptwriting ones. Working together with other people and receiving opinions and comments will help you a lot to improve!
