Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, aspiring writers must master dialogue if they hope to leave an impact on readers. Improving dialogue is simply a matter of knowing the correct craft and applying enough practice. In enough time, you can write convincingly realistic conversations between characters that will deepen our reader’s relationship with the story.

In this article, we’ll go over some of the basics surrounding dialogue and how to write some of our very own.

Key takeaways:

• Differences between direct and indirect dialogue

• Dialogue tags aren’t always necessary

• Dialogue either moves the story forward, or deepens our understanding

Direct and Indirect Dialogue:

Dialogue at its core is a conversation between two characters, but it can with varying degrees of directness.

Direct dialogue refers to the kind of dialogue most readers are familiar with. As its name suggests, it is a direct quotation of what is said in a scene, most commonly utilizing quotation marks and dialogue tags (we’ll talk about those later). See for example this excerpt from The Hound of the Baskervilles:

Here we can see the careful construction of direct dialogue. There is little up to interpretation; what is written is what is said. Direct dialogue decreases the distance between character and reader, putting them in the center of the action. It is one example of showing the reader, rather than telling them.

Indirect dialogue still encompasses speech between characters, but refers to speech as reported on by a third person perspective. This means that there is no need for quotation marks or tricky line breaks. Indirect dialogue appears in the narrative and often summarizes the conversation it is indirectly conveying to the reader. Take a look at this examples from Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth:

The indirect dialogue here is used to give context to a conversation without specifically stating what is said. This leaves more open to the reader’s interpretation.

Both direct and indirect dialogue must be used together in order to get the most out of our character interactions. Too much direct dialogue can leave a reader wanting a break from the back and forth, while too much indirect dialogue can stifle our more dramatic encounters.

Realistic Dialogue:

The goal for us as writers is to accurately represent real life through our writing. Dialogue can either help or hinder our story’s verisimilitude depending on its quality.

Next time you leave the house, listen to someone’s conversation. Take notice of the frequent ‘ums’, occasional repetitions, and pointless tangents. Conversation in real life is often not worth recording, much less writing a story about. The best authors cut the fluff and inject a healthy dose of flair to the conversations between characters in their stories. Keep in mind, it is a balancing act between melodrama and over-realism; fall too far to one side and the dialogue falls flat.

On one hand, we want our dialogue to contain these realistic qualities. Vernacular, or the dialect spoken by ordinary people of a specific area, can be an excellent tool for characterization of both people and setting. we might choose to use a character’s ‘umming’ to indicate discomfort with another character.

On the other hand, dramatizing our dialogue can let us show off our abilities as a writer. Some of the most famous moments throughout entertainment have been monologues. These drawn-out pontifications win our hearts not because they stand firm within reality, but because the character opens fully to the reader and delivers a speech of great significance.

Balancing art and life is just one of many duties an author must fulfill in order to get the most from their dialogue.

Q&A:

Here are some frequently asked questions about dialogue:

Q: Does the comma go on the inside or outside of the quotation marks?

A: Dialogue punctuation can be tricky. Direct dialogue must be enclosed with quotation marks. Commas are used when attributing dialogue to a specific person. If the attribution appears before the quotes, a comma is placed outside of the quotes. If the attribution appears after the quotes, it is placed within. Note that the first word of quoted dialogue is always capitalized. Example:

He said, “We don’t want anything to do with it.”

“We don’t want anything to do with it,” he said.

Q: I think my story has too much dialogue. How can I cut back?

A: Too much dialogue is never a problem; character interaction drives narrative, after all. What can be a problem is too much direct dialogue. Try summarizing conversations from unexpected perspectives to keep things fresh. Action scenes can also capture a reader’s attention after a large time spent in conversation.

Q: What is the fastest way I can improve at writing dialogue?

A: Daily practice is a must, but an exercise that I recommend is people watching. Listening in on mundane conversations can be a lot like panning for gold: most of it is nothing, but there are occasional nuggets. Keep note of interesting lines or new turns of phrases in the notes app on our phone. These can be inspiration for a new line or prompts to entire stories.

Conclusion:

Dialogue is one of the strongest tools for reader retention in an author’s arsenal. Balancing between expression and realism can be a hassle but the effort is well worth the reward.

Follow my Twitter at https://twitter.com/rankupwriting. Check out my Medium too.