6 TIPS FOR WRITING DIALOGUE

It should only be fitting that someone who is hyper-aware of the fact they have a tendency to write too much dialogue would share their tips on how to write dialogue. The art of the spoken conversation in the midst of descriptive, poised prose can either provide a satisfying vessel for the story to continue, or lead the reader to subconsciously wince at the inaccuracy of the apparent verbal engagement of two individuals.

Dialogue can either further your story, or it can make it stagnate. You don’t want the latter, do ya? Neither do I.

Here are some of my top tips on how to write dialogue:

1// Stop overthinking it.

I get it, you’re a writer. You’re prone to overthinking. It’s in your nature. Show me a writer who isn’t an innate overthinker - I’ll wait.

With that being said, with all the rules you’ve read about how to write dialogue, you have every reason to worry about whether you’re writing it right. It’s totally normal to have a decent amount of paranoia when it comes to figuring out whether you have struck a healthy balance between prose and dialogue. Totally normal.

However, this is your reminder to take a step back. Take a deep breath. Trust what you’ve written. If you’re feeling called to write more dialogue in a particular chapter, write it. If there’s not enough, so be it. There’s this funny little thing called the editing process where you can fix it up later.

Yes, yes. What happens in the editing process?

Once you’ve decided that every line of dialogue has its place there and done the usual edits, it’s time to trust yourself. Trust that every line a character delivers is there for a reason.

2// Listen to people.

Make the most of the people around you. Your family. Your friends. The people on the train. Your colleagues. Your classmates. Your teachers. Your editors. The strangers you interact with.

Observe and listen to what they say. Listen to how they say it. Observe how they say it.

What mannerisms do they have? How do they hold themselves? What is the pace they say those words at? Thoroughly observe the human behaviour behind what is being said, and how it is being said.

3// Check the era.

I know with this new wave of self-acceptance the idea of credibility seems to belong in a hyper-masculine corporate world, however it belongs just as much in the writing sphere.

Whether people realise it or not, they will judge your work based on how accurate it is of the era in which it is set. For example, I have seen so many complaints about the new ‘Persuasion’ movie. Personally, I haven’t seen it. From what I’ve heard, a huge issue is that it’s a ‘modern retelling’ set in the world of ‘Persuasion’ itself. That is, the topics of dialogue were often the type of relationship issues that many other rom-coms these days have a whinge about. It made no sense to the Jane Austen-era story.

When you’re writing your dialogue, make sure that both the topics and the words used are relevant to the era in which your story is set AND the area it is also set. Don’t be using Australian slang in a story set in New York where nobody would have a clue what said slang actually means.

It’s simple enough, but it happens. More times than I care to wish.

4// Read it out loud.

Writing can sound far more stagnant when spoken than it seems when it’s actually down on paper. Read out your dialogue to assess how it flows.

If it’s stagnant and awkward, tweak it.

If it comes out naturally and sounds like an actual conversation, brilliant!

Give your words life through the drafting process. If you’re game, ask someone to help you out!

5// Watch movies & TV series.

Don’t be afraid to observe dialogue in films and series. Personally, this has been one of my favourite ways to actually get great at writing dialogue.

Observe how the actors deliver the lines. What actions do they make? What’s the timing like? What do they emphasise? Then, use this as a way to think about how your characters deliver their lines, too.

If you want to take it to the next level, have a think about why the actor made the creative decision to deliver the line in such a way. You can watch actor interviews when they talk about their characters and how they decided to play them the way they did.

An example of this comes from a scene in Yellowstone. After Jamie finds out he’s adopted in season 3, there’s a scene where he goes to confront John about it. John is sitting by the fireplace with a glass of whiskey when Jamie comes raging. Anyone else would have fought fire with fire, but Kevin Costner decided that John wouldn’t. Instead, he replied calmly, meticulously, unfazed by the raging bull beside him. It’s an intriguing creative decision because you would think that anger would be the most dramatic option, but instead it shows John’s character and his unique way of responding to things - with a coolhead and a collected tone of speaking.

6 // Write how you speak.

When you’re so focused on writing genius prose and wanting to sound like you know what you’re doing, you might be surprised to know that the genius is within your unique self. Don’t be afraid to write how YOU speak. Don’t be afraid to implement parts of your own story. You are far more interesting than you may think. The reason so many others have succeeded is because they used their voice, and their voice alone. They weren’t trying to be someone else. They knew the genius was already within them with their own voice and their own unique take on the world.

Own it.

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Dialogue is an important part of writing, and it’s definitely a lot easier than many think it is.

Let me know: did these tips help?