I’ve just been running my monthly Open Writers’ Circle and this time I decided to teach my students about writing dialogue. Of all the aspects of story writing dialogue is possibly the trickiest so I thought I’d take the opportunity to give you a few tips here on the blog.
Interestingly, today, I asked my students to speedwrite for 10 minutes on the topic of conversation. The responses were rich and varied and inspired me to add some of the wisdom that arose from their writing here too.
Eight things to remember when writing dialogue
- Make a note or record and transcribe real life conversations while they happen because it’s not easy to remember what was said afterwards. You’ll likely remember more about the mood, the outcome or the setting in which the chat took place than you will the actual words, so I urge you to do this exercise.
- Write down what you overhear others saying in conversation in cafés, on benches, on the train or as they walk down the street.
- Write down word for word how adults interact with babies and young children. Notice the language used and the simple phrases. People do adjust the way they speak according to their audience. Start to notice this. Just as we tend to dumb down our language when speaking to a foreigner. Pay attention. Write it down. You’ll be glad you did.
- Did you know that the short, seemingly trivial conversations with have in shops, bus drivers and the people we interact with often but briefly contribute hugely to our wellbeing? Start to appreciate these exchanges and pay attention to the body language you both use and how the interactions make you feel. The words themselves account for a very small percentage of the whole conversation. Body language, actions and emotions play a huge part too. Add this to your written conversations later.
- Yes, dogs and cats can be part of a dialogue. The way their nose tracks the movement of that biscuit between your plate, hand and mouth speaks volumes about what matters to them – your food. Actions alone, even from beings that cannot speak can also be part of a conversation.
- Some conversations happen entirely online, via WhatsApp, voice message, via social media comments or even GIFs, memes and images. They count too and for many people, they may be the only way they ever ‘talk’ to their extended family. Have you noticed how we often say, “I spoke to so-and-so,” when actually we just wrote messages to each other. It counts. Notice how those interactions go, the acronyms and emojis used and recognise this is the future.
- Some of our most important conversations take place over Zoom, Facetime or video calls. During the height of the pandemic, almost all of my interaction took place like this. Did you notice how stressful it can be to have to look at people, sometimes lots of people at once, for an hour or more at a time? In real life, when we talk to people we can stand up, put the kettle on, respond to a text message, look out the window, even look away while we ponder a thought. We even have more silences. But online the pace is faster. Silence is frightening and it’s almost impossible not to keep seeing yourself out of the corner of your eye while others are speaking. I was so pleased to discover the Hide Self View option and remove myself from the screen, but still that constant face-to-face time is exhausting. Notice what this does to conversation. How only one person can speak at once and interruptions often don’t work effectively.
- Now people have many conversations via mobile phone as they walk along the street or in the park. Some do so while speaking into their phone handset, but others prefer to look at the scenery as they speak into the microphone on their headset. Until recently I only did so speaking into my phone directly and I found this to be stressful too. But then, this week, I used a headset and found the conversation much easier because I could look at other things while we talked. This reminds me of how much easier tough conversations can be when sitting in the car or walking, side by side. When you don’t have to look someone in the face conversation can be more relaxed and free flowing. I’ll wager more satisfying too. Notice this. Notice how the conversation differs depending on the way you communicate.
- When writing dialogue it’s easy to think that it makes for a better piece of writing if you avoid too many he said/she saids. In fact, said/replied/answered/suggested/explained are subtle and can be almost invisible so they are good to use. Too many ‘expounded’, ‘reiterated’ or other long, more convoluted words tend to stick out.
- And what about when the conversation has more than two people? That is much harder to write down on paper. You need to help the reader keep track of who is speaking and show the reader that body language too, show the intention and emotion wrapped up in the words. If more than two people are talking, here are some things to think about:
a. Actions speak louder than words. Sometimes one person shows their response without words, with a nod, perhaps, or leaving the room in a hurry.
b. Using he said/she said can confuse when more people are present. You need to add clues to remind the reader who is speaking and find other ways to indicate who’s speaking.
c. There are lots of ways to indicate the speaker including:
i. Pronouns: he said/she said
ii. Names: Dad said, Mr Brown said
iii. Descriptions: Said the older man, the teacher said
I hope you have found the information here useful or even thought-provoking. The truth is that conversation enlivens stories. They move the story on, add to the pace and, to be honest, are often the most fun to read.
Pay attention to the conversations that take place around you and I can guarantee it will improve your writing.
If you would like to attend an Open Writers’ Circle, they take place on the First Thursday of the month from 10-12 UK time and cost £25. You can sign up via my Events Calendar here.
