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"Well, I, um, used to have a dog but, um, he ran away. And then, well, I got a cat and - sneeze - I found out that, you see, I'm allergic."
Dialogue is a powerful tool in writing. It should mirror a real conversation but not verbatim. Writing tight dialogue requires you to edit out the "ums" and eliminate the scattered thoughts.
A cleverly written piece of dialogue between your characters can add deep substance to your story. Good conversation will breathe life into your characters. And readers will be able to understand the way your characters feel, think and hear.
Ready to tackle the art of writing witty dialogue? Use the following DOs and DON'Ts as a guide.
DON'T end every sentence with "he said." For example, don't write:
"I never loved you," Joe said.
"What are you saying?" Mary said.
"Our marriage is a sham," Joe said.
"I don't believe you," Mary said.
It's unnecessary. Good dialogue toggles back-and-forth without you having to constantly remind the reader who's speaking.
And DON'T try to fool the reader with the following either:
"I never loved you, Mary."
"What are you saying, Joe?"
"Our marriage is a sham, Mary."
"I don't believe you, Joe."
How many conversations have you carried where you're continually reminding the person of their name?
One thing you have to remember as a writer is that you're invisible. DON'T try to use your dialogue to tell the story. It's cheating.
"Hi Larry. How do you like your new job?"
"Well, Carly. As you know, I'm a reporter for our local newspaper. And when you worked there, you suggested I would be perfect for that type of job. Remember?"
Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!
Again, you don't hear people talking like this in everyday life. If you're going to drop information into your dialogue, at least make it sound natural. DO write:
"Hey Larry. How's it going?"
"Just great. I'm reporting at your old newspaper."
"Congratulations! I always knew you'd be great at that."
Exposing your scene slowly and naturally adds realism.
DON'T write a conversation to fill up white space. Always, always, always avoid dull dialogue. Look at every sentence. Do you need it there? Who wants to read:
"Matt this is Shelly, Daniel, Natalie and Phillip. Karen, you know Taylor, William and Randy."
Blah!
Your readers are smart. Don't lose their respect by repeating information. DON'T write:
Joanne looked around, proud to be a Cancer survivor. She stepped to the podium and spoke into the microphone. "Hello, I'm Joanne and I'm proud to be a Cancer survivor."
Does your dialogue have meaning? If it's just banter then dump it. It's not relevant or even vital to your story.
DON'T bore your readers. Get rid of:
"What are you watching on TV?"
"Just a show."
"What type of show?"
"Just something I ran across, flipping through the channels."
Spice it up a little bit. Try:
"What are you watching?"
"Just a show."
"Geez, that's porn!"
"I was bored."
And DON'T use modifiers after every piece of dialogue. Like:
"Have you heard from the doctor?" he said as he sat on the couch.
"Not yet," she said, sliding into the easy chair.
"Maybe he'll call soon." He twittled his thumbs.
"Maybe." She crossed her legs.
Reading this type of dialogue throughout a story can be quite tiring. DO use these descriptors every now and then, though, to enhance your story.
Finally, DO let narrative and dialogue share the spotlight. You could say:
I couldn't read the name on the door but I knew it was my doctor's office. "I'm here for my test results."
The nurse showed me to an examination room. Five minutes later, Dr. Jones came in.
"Mrs. Cramer. I think you should sit down."
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