Writing Dialogue

Writing Dialogue

One of the biggest compliments I ever received as a writer was when an audience member at the Winterset Literary Festival asked how I managed to get the speech patterns of Newfoundland farmers down so accurately.

I enjoy writing dialogue and put considerable effort into making it believable and interesting.

Books on writing have all kinds of advice about how to properly construct dialogue. Some of it is helpful and some I disagree with. Here are a few of my thoughts on the topic.

Dialogue is much like music. There is a rhythm and melody to speech as much as there is to a song. The first thing required for playing or singing is to listen carefully to the music you are trying to recreate. Writing requires the same kind of attention. I believe one of the most helpful attributes for a writer is curiosity. If you are going to write, you should be interested in the way people speak. Attempt to find the words and rhythms that make individuals fascinating and then try to put that on a page.

It may be simpler to write dialogue between people who don’t sound like you. It’s easier to be captivated by the unusual or unknown.

There are many writing coaches who warn against the use of dialect. To me this is missing the point of dialogue. People sound a certain way, and it is the author’s job to present an accurate representation. To change characters’ speech patterns to be politically correct just flattens writing.

It is important not to exaggerate dialect. Overdoing local slang or grammatical oddities can result in work that becomes caricature. We need to respect our characters and not exaggerate or minimize their way of speaking.

The other aspect of writing dialogue that interests me is the concept of dialogue attribution. This is the technique of letting the reader know who is talking. The easiest way to do this is by starting with “John then said…” or finishing with “said John”.

I make a serious effort to never use this kind of attribution in my writing. To me it breaks the spell of the book. It’s like the writer is reminding you that you are reading instead of immersing you in the story.

There are writing experts who suggest that you need to occasionally use these kinds of devices to make sure the reader doesn’t get lost. I understand the concern. There is nothing more frustrating than reading two pages of dialogue between characters and not knowing what words come from who.

When this happens, I think the writer is just being sloppy. There are many ways to keep the source of words clear.

The first technique is to avoid long stretches of uninterrupted dialogue. Unless this is very skillfully done, droning on will test the readers’ patience and attention.

The writer can also give the participants different kinds of speech. One character can use slang or colloquial terms that the reader will know could never come from the other.

A simple technique is to have one participant use the other’s name. “You know your fly is down, John” makes it very clear who is speaking.

Another method is to mention a character’s name when referring to some action they undertake during their dialogue. “Jack turned away to straighten his zipper….” This bit of action is a break from the talking and makes it clear that Jack will speak next. I would suggest there is no need to say “… straightened his zipper before continuing…”  Writers will disagree on this one, but to me the words “before continuing” intrude on the spell of the story.

There is more to writing dialogue than just having characters move the story along. With care, the words they speak can tell much about the speakers’ backgrounds, personalities and relationships without interfering with the flow of the narrative.