THE 'WRITE' LIFE

Dialogue is nothing more than a conversation between two or more persons. The easy flow of dialogue seems like a complicated task, but it is simple once you understand the process.

Let's look at it this way, since the time you uttered your first sounds you were engaged in dialogue. It may have been inaudible to the outside world, but you knew what you were trying to convey. As you got older, your language skills developed to the point that you were able to engage in conversation with the kid next to you, or someone in pre-school, your best friend in school, or your first date.

Now you are probably asking yourself where is she going with this?

Well, I will tell you! If you write dialogue that rambles on just like your first baby words, no one will understand what you are trying to convey in your story. Now write dialogue as if the person was right in the same room with you and you have done your job for the reader.

As a beginner writer I followed a mechanical way of writing dialogue that was stiff and boring similar to this paragraph below:

"I am so tired of eating bananas all the time because they are just boring and I've been on this diet for months now and I haven't lost a pound. I was told by my doctor I need to lose twelve pounds, but I can't do it so I am going to just do things, my way and whatever happens will happen," Jane said.

"Oh really," Gene answered.

Now you can all exhale because Jane's speech was a mouth full and I have a feeling Gene fell asleep half way through it given his flat answer.

The dialogue would have flowed easier if it went something like this:

"I am so tired of eating bananas," Jane said.

"I love bananas, what's wrong with them?" Gene asked.

"Well if you had to eat bananas all the time you'd hate them too!" She huffed.

"Who said you need to eat them all the time," Gene shrugged.

"My doctor did." She sighed.

"Why, what good can that do?" Gene looked confused.

"I have a potassium deficiency and need to lose twelve pounds."

"Well lot's luck with that one!" Gene smirked.

In the second version, Jane gives us more information and Gene gets to ask the questions we ourselves may be asking.

Next time you are in the mall or at a party, observe conversations between people. Have you noticed how many times one person interrupts the other either to comment or ask a question?

Real conversations go on between people this way. So listen, learn, and apply those techniques to your own dialogue.

Read your dialogue aloud with a friend taking a part and see if it makes sense. If it does – you are in business and your audience will find themselves engrossed in the conversation.

The more realistic your dialogue, the more your story will be interesting and fast-paced enough to hold your readers interest.

Angela T. Pisaturo