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| I know that when characters speak to each
other, it should sound real, the way real people talk. But when
I sit down to write, my characters dialogue just doesn't work
very well. What am I doing wrong? |
When we first sit down to write fiction, we bring with us
all the grammatical rules we’ve learned and expository
prose training we’ve received. This often causes writers
to write dialogue that is unconvincing—stiff, over-written,
and one-dimensional.
Dialogue needs to be written the way it is spoken, written for
the ear, which often goes against grammatical rules and the
expectations of formal prose. Here’s an example (strained,
to prove the point):
According to Hoyle:
“I
should think you would prefer to attend to your office business
during daytime hours,” Rose said, “and pay attention
to your familial duties in the evening.”
Now Rose may very well talk this way if she’s someone’s
dowager aunt or a member of the British aristocracy. But chances
are, she’d be more apt to speak this way, according to
fiction:
“You bring work
home every night,” Rose said. “When do the kids
and I get a little attention around here?”
It’s often helpful for a writer to read aloud what she
or he has written. It’s good training for the writer’s
ear. Does it sound convincing? Natural? Do your characters’
voices stay consistent? Are their voices distinct from one another?
Try the exercise below, and remember to include contractions,
incomplete or one-word sentences, pauses and slang, if these
things are applicable and fit naturally into the dialogue. Also
remember that conversations are not always linear, that they
take sidesteps and don’t always come full circle.
EXERCISE:
Here’s the situation: Before going to bed, a mother has
found that her teenage son is not in his bed. She’s gone
through three hours of waiting and wondering and worrying. Then,
she watches him climb in through his window. Write two or three
pages of dialogue between these two. |
