Sharpening Your
Dialog
I am by no means an expert on writing dialog; I wouldn’t
dare claim to be anything above novice at this point in my journey. This being
the case, I hesitate to give advice on the craft of writing. I mean, who am I?
I’m just some chick hanging out in her Super Grover pajamas at noon on a Sunday
eating oatmeal (okay, it’s a chocolate chip scone, but don’t tell my diet.).
Frankly, I’m contemplating tossing this laptop in the trash and doing what
non-writers do all day. Whatever that is.
Apart from eavesdropping on strangers in a coffee house
(which I believe is required by law? Section 3 paragraph 187 of the Word Bender
code, the Half-Caf Cappuccino Clause?), a good exercise for young writers is to
read snippets of dialog from your favorite books and deconstruct them. What was
it about that conversation that revealed the relationship? How did the author
show you so much without telling you directly? How did the author point you to
clues by using banter, mood, and rapport? How can you use the same techniques
to reveal important undercurrents, highlight a subplot, or make your own
characters seem richer, more complex, more human?
An author should never have to say “she was afraid of him.”
Show this, or any other development, by the manner in which they approach one
another and the word choices they make. Get down to the nitty-gritty: hard
words vs. soft, active vs. passive. Look at what they decide to say or not say;
sometimes the things left unsaid reveal more about their personality or the
brewing strength of the subplot than what they do say. This should be a
well-choreographed dance even before you’ve considered dialog tags. Pluck the
obvious bits and trust the reader; if you’ve done it right, the reader will be
able to read between the lines. A good (honest) beta reader will be able to
help you decide if you’ve nailed it.
Now, there’s a pretty good chance I don’t know what I’m
talking about. Taking writing advice from me is like making financial decisions
based on a consultation with that hobo outside the bank. Writing is hard work
and I’m still under the desk eating kindergarten paste (don’t tell my diet),
but go forth and give it a try. Best of luck, little Word Benders.
AJ Aalto is the author of “Touched” and “Death Rejoices,”
the first and second books of the paranormal mystery series The Marnie Baranuik
Files. Aalto is an unrepentant liar and a writer of blathering nonsense offset by factual gore.
There’s a possibility that A.J. is currently standing in front of her bathroom
mirror snort-giggling at exploratory homemade zombie noises, like all horror
writers are wont to do. A fan of saprophytic harmony, blatant carnivoracity,
skin slippage, and the lovely bloat of putrefaction, she can usually be found
lurking in underwater caverns waiting for unsuspecting divers. Rumour has it
that A.J. Aalto is the secret cause of Rapture of the Deep–but it’s likely she
started that rumour herself.
“Touched” on
Amazon: http://amzn.to/16YGuqc
“Death
Rejoices” on Amazon: http://amzn.to/11iyLkm
Twitter: @AJAalto
1 comment:
Great article, insightful. Thank you
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