This has been highly requested and a long time coming and finally, ‘tis done. I hope this proves useful to you. Enjoy!
Writing Quality Conversation
Dialogue Should Serve A Purpose
All pieces of dialogue in your story should serve a purpose. You just have to train your writer brain to ask itself what it accomplishes. Here are some examples of how dialogue functions:
Dialogue Is Not A Loophole To Tell Instead Of Show
You should not be using dialogue as a way to tell the reader what’s going on or how the setting looks or anything that is usually done in a narrative form. Trying to use dialogue as a way to get out of concisely describing the situation to the reader in an artistic and eloquent way is lazy and once you start, you start to believe you can get away with it more and more. Don’t let that slippery slope get you.
Be Inspired By Real Conversation, Don’t Mimic It
The truth is, your reader will not fault you for leaving out the “um..”s and the “eh..”s and the weird vocal mannerisms that you have assigned to your characters. Leave those for the movie adaptation. Instead, if you character is stopped in the middle of a statement, use “but he-” rather than “bu-” because that will read strangely in your reader’s head and stall them in the process, killing he momentum of the conversation.
If You’re Stuck With A Piece Of Dialogue, Read It Aloud
As a writer, you are also an actor, and if you are stuck on a line and need to act it out a few different ways to match one to your scene, so be it. Say it loudly, say it gravely, say it flirtatiously, whisper it; it doesn’t matter. Try it out yourself and find what works. Your reader is going to be hearing this in their head, so make sure you convey it exactly how you want it to sound.
Remember Who’s Speaking
Your characters are all different people with different word preferences and personal catch phrases and tonal patterns and vocal styles. Use this to your advantage. You are making a movie in your reader’s head, so use these specific characteristics to your advantage.
Dialogue Tags
Don’t Over-Do Dialogue Tags
There are a lot of very interesting and wonderful dialogue tags out there. You do not need to use all of them. If you have a very clear vision of how this line is said and you know that you want your reader to hear it that way, then use a dialogue tag, but if you know they’ll connect the dots from hearing the word “said”, then refrain from using a unique dialogue tag. Part of the fun of reading is having your own special imaginative freedom while consuming the story. Too many dialogue tags strip your reader of that freedom because every detail is directed.
Respect “Said”
Said is not dead. Said is very much alive and well and must not be taken for granted. Love Said and nurture Said and Said will be good to you and your story.
Flow
Use Action Between Periods Of Dialogue (Give Your Characters Stage Business)
This is pretty self-explanatory, but here’s an example of the wonders this simple fix can achieve:
“No,” he said, “I’m not leaving.”
vs.
“No,” He said, fixing his sleeve cuff calmly and meeting her eyes with an intimidating stare, “I’m not leaving.”
Don’t Include Too Much Information In One Conversation
Information in stories is supposed to be distributed evenly over time, not in a single conversation whenever you need to pack a bunch of knowledge into the reader in order for them to understand the next scene. Dialogue is also, again, not the method you are supposed to use in order to tell the reader all they need to know. Information about the setting, world, characters, past, present, and future is all supposed to be revealed through description, non-verbal communication, exposition, narration (if it allows), and other literary tools. Do not use dialogue to tell your reader everything.
Keep It Short
Dialogue, specifically individual pieces of dialogue, are meant to be short, informative, and sweet. Don’t drag it along, don’t make the discussion longer than it has to be, and going back to a previous point, don’t include unnecessary information.
This doesn’t need too much unboxing on its own, but just because someone has a thick British accent doesn’t mean that “you” is suddenly spelled “yeh”. This is incredibly difficult to get used to and can A. Confuse the reader, whether it be the first time they come across it or repeatedly over time, and B. bother the reader so much they end up putting the book down because it’s so exhausting trying to remember that “yeh” means “you”. If your reader has to repeatedly assure their self that yes, that is what they’ve just read, then your story is only going to suffer for it.
*Side note: this does not apply to fanfiction. This is because, most of the time, the reader has an idea of what the protagonist’s voice sounds like and can therefore navigate the writing without a problem because they aren’t trying to form a unique voice in the narrative. Just something I thought I should mention. Sorry if this sounds ridiculous to non-fanfiction readers.
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