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Developing Realistic Dialogue©2005 S.L. Bartlett |
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When I settle on the couch to enjoy a book, nothing destroys the first few pages, and ultimately the whole experience, like unbelievable conversations between the characters. I read a book once about a street kid who only had a grade six education but he spoke like a University graduate. Now, I’m the first to recognize that many people get a “street education” and some of the unfortunate children out there are actually very intelligent. But realistically, he should not have had that sophistication in his speech. It totally ruined the believability of the whole story. I no longer trusted the author. When you write about a character that may be the total opposite of how you want to present yourself, smother your vanity. I had the feeling that the writer of the above book was reluctant to “give up” their sophistication, and therefore compromised the integrity of the story through this unrealistic personality of the main character. If this is you, remember, you are already showing your intelligence by writing a book and developing a variety of characters, and thus showing your versatility. Perhaps you are not sure how a certain type of person would speak. Do your research! If you are tackling a certain character that may have an unfamiliar way, to you, of discussing a subject, expose yourself to that societal influence. If you are writing about someone who is in the artistic world, then immerse yourself in it at art galleries, go to artist’s “coming out” parties, and haunt the museums when a rich patron is contributing either money or an artifact. Talk to them; many are happy to answer questions, as long as they are not too personal. Study their speech and topics they seem to be enthusiastic about. When I started my own novel, I was a country girl writing about a reporter in the big city who was raised 'urban' all her life. I was unfamiliar with the issues, dialogue and mannerisms of urban residents, so I decided to rent an apartment for three months in the centre of the city and immerse myself in the hangouts that seemed most popular with the urbanites. I even procured a summer job at a popular café, just to give myself a better chance to observe and engage in brief conversations with city people. When I finally got back home to my beloved country home, I was better able to relate to my main character and give her the dialogue that normally I would never use in real life. Also, my secondary character was a police officer and as we all know, some terminology from the job becomes habit even in their everyday life. So I arranged to interview a local, off-duty officer in my region and also arrange a ride-along. It’s amazing how casual and personal the conversation can become when the four hour patrol is relatively uneventful and you can eavesdrop on the radio transmissions. Now I was able to make my police officer, the important secondary character far more human with all the foibles mixed with professionalism that made him unique. The most important factor to good dialogue is keeping it simple and normal, like any conversation you would have sitting across from someone in a coffee shop. Don’t stylize it unless your character is portraying that personality to begin with. Not all the conversation has to have a point; it can be used to develop the character through normalcy. If your character is talkative, then let them ramble across the page. If they are quiet and withdrawn, use descriptions of their body language to put their personality across while their dialogue may be clipped and abrupt. If they are naturally straightforward where you may be more diplomatic, then have them say the things that you would never consider saying, especially if, in reality, you would still be thinking it. The main rule here is: Show! Don’t Tell! Good dialogue will flow without awkwardness. Have the other character they are speaking to react to what is said. Do not switch the topics without a lead in of some kind. For example: “I
met my professor the other day.” “Really?
Was he nice?” “He
was OK, but I thought he was rather pompous.” "I
got a phone call from OK, what happened here? The conversation made an abrupt turn and your reader is left wondering if maybe there was a mistake in the printing or the editing, and a whole paragraph may have been lost. So, let’s try this again: "I
met my professor the other day." "Really?
Was he nice?" "He
was OK, but I thought he was rather pompous." "Oh,
that reminds me, I got a call from Read it aloud to make sure it sounds natural. If it doesn’t it will quickly become evident when the inconsistency grates on your nerves. Even the most mundane dialogue needs some type of connection to the story. Remember when I said not all your conversations have to have a direct point? Again, some casual conversation can help develop the personality of your character and the dialogue can show the more “human” aspects of him/her. But try to keep it related somehow in the storyline. It’s not realistic if your main hero is immersed in saving the world but he is sitting on a fence discussing fixing his car, unless it will come into play later that it is a vital point in the mystery or crisis. Also, make sure the hero is talking to someone who plays a role in the plot. If he’s talking to his son, make sure the son will be able to pass this information on or act on it later on. And make sure you describe the setting and actions taking place with them and around them, to give your reader visual aid. So, let’s make the above conversation more interesting: In
the small, crowded café, "Really?"
Shrugging,
This makes the whole scene real and visual in the reader’s mind. It can be used to set up an event or to get other characters involved in the plot. We can see the setting, we can feel the emotions by the body language and we can hear the conversation as the main feature, especially when what your character says may be hiding what they are really feeling. Dialogue can be used to disguise as well as to illuminate. Your writing can be much more successful if you remember that sometimes dialogue can stand alone in elegance and sometimes it needs a little “decoration” in the form of the descriptive to give it more impact. The key is to keep it simple, keep it real!
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Lead BookAdz Interviewer, S.L. Bartlett, has written several editorials and freelance items for her local and county newspaper, as well as satirical essays. Bartlett is also a book reviewer for BookAdz and a staff writer for Silver Moon Magazine. |
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