Tag: dialogue

Do you want to write interesting dialog?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

Even when your characters are a bit long-winded?

Well, thanks to Lisa Hall Wilson, I’ve got a few good tips that might help.

Adding beats to your dialog keeps the pace moving. Below are some of her suggestions to get the beats right and keep your reader engaged.

Make every beat count in a story.

  • Show what the character is doing as they speak.
    • Rocking
    • Walking
    • Picking at a thread, twirling hair…
  • Use tone.
    • Soft, loud, hateful…
  • Show how the character is feeling about what is being said.
    • Sad, thoughtful, tense…
  • Show the actions of other characters and ambient noises
    • A minor character walking away, clinching fists…
    • Strangers in the area
    • dishes clinking
    • People singing, arguing…
  • Internal dialogue
    • But, word of caution- don’t overuse or the action will slow down.
  • Avoid too much stage direction with dialogue
    • You don’t want the reader simply observing the scene taking place, like someone in a movie theatre.

Above all –

write beats that move the story forward and engage the reader.

Read more of Lisa’s suggestions for writing great dialogue at this link.

How To Use Beats To Keep Long Dialogue Passages Interesting Even If There’s No Action by 

Writers, what do you think?

Do you write a lot of beats in dialogue?

Get any good ideas for your current work in progress?

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Do you need help with dialogue?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Do your characters sound realistic?

The dialogue in my work-in-progress sounded a little stilted to me. So I was excited to find a helpful post.

No one wants their characters to sound like robots.

We all want the characters in our story to jump out at the reader. To engage them and give them fun “ah-ha” moments. Maybe connect a character to a friend or family member. Nothing would make me happier than to hear, “That character reminded me of my best friend. Did you spy on us?”

After reading Gina Conkle’s post, I learned…

  • Tags are not stop signs.
    • Use them judiciously.
  • Don’t overuse non-verbal cues.
    • Be creative.
  • Men speak differently than women.
    • This is something we know but forget to incorporate into a manuscript.
    • Viva la difference.
  • Not all character voices are created equal.
    • Men command, women, have conversations.
  • Dyads
    • Even in a group setting, the conversation is between two dominant characters.
    • Unless I’m with my sisters. The five of us talk over each other, and that would present a nightmare to write on paper. LOL
    • Don’t confuse the reader about who is talking to whom.

Gina goes into a lot more detail. Be sure and click on her link and read the entire post. Believe me, her tips are very helpful.

I’m I the only writer who has problems with dialogue?

Do you have a tip or two that you use to make dialogue realistic?

 

How to Create Page-Turning Dialogue by Gina Conkle

 

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