Create Character Dialogue for Fiction Writing | BeaWriter

Whether writing a screenplay or a novel, fiction writers eventually come to a point where dialogue must be included in their writing. Unnatural-sounding dialogue can be off-putting to readers, so it is important for writers to create natural, flowing dialogue that compliments the style of their writing as well as the mood and personality of their characters. We have all heard (and cringed at) movie dialogue that was obviously written by someone older, attempting (poorly) to mimic the language of a younger generation. Nobody wants that for their writing, but how can you write dialogue for characters who speak differently than you?

Research Your Characters

I believe one of the biggest mistakes writers make that ultimately affects how they write dialogue is spending too little time developing characters. How can you possibly write about someone you don?t know anything about? An effective exercise to start with is one used by many actors to develop backstory. Write down questions ? personal questions ? about your character as if you are conducting an interview. Then, try to answer them in the voice of the character, giving as much detail as possible. When you learn details about your character?s life, you will inherently learn about any idiosyncrasies that might affect your character?s speech patterns. Whether it?s as obvious as an accent developed from being raised by a German grandmother or as subtle as a self-consciousness that affects the flow of their speech, knowing these things about your characters will allow you to better understand how they would speak to one another within your fictional story. It will not only make your dialogue more believable, but it will help you write more believably overall.

Research Your Research

To further elaborate on the first point, basic research is not enough, and neither is simply knowing that your character was raised by a German grandmother. Take those characteristics and do the research required to make that attribute realistic. I don?t know German, but if my character had a German-speaking grandmother, I would assume she does. Look up some basic German phrases that she might use, listen to someone with a German accent to get a feel for the flow of their speech. If it sounds like a lot of work, it is. But knowing the basics just isn?t enough if you want your characters to read as natural and believable.

?Practice Continuity

It would be a shame to do all that research only to let these characteristics slip through the cracks by chapter seven. A certain erotic fiction novelist has been criticized for writing dialogue in her native accent while her character was from an entirely different country. She may have done the research and known her character very well, but it doesn?t count for much when the writing doesn?t reflect an intimate knowledge of the character. I like to go through my own fiction writing chapter (or scene) at a time to ensure that my characters are behaving in a way that is reflective of what I know about them. I have found on plenty of occasions dialogue that adds to or changes my character?s backstory, and when I stray from backstory, I typically also stray from how the character speaks as well. Remember that while you are writing, you can get caught up in the moment, and revision is a necessity to maintain continuity.

Write in the Third Person

Sometimes, it?s the actual format of writing dialogue that intimidates writers. If you are uncomfortable with simply diving into the back-and-forth rhythm of dialogue, try first writing it from a third person perspective. Write down what each character wants to convey so you don?t have to worry about the informational element when you convert it to dialogue. If a character wanted to inform another character that the mall was closed down, you can start out by writing, ?he told him that the mall was closed.? Now that you know what information is being conveyed, you can consider the character?s personality and speech habits; how would he say that? A confident character might simply say ?It?s closed,? while a character lacking confidence might say, ?I think it?s closed,? despite knowing for certain that the mall is in fact closed. Successful dialogue writing relies on small details like these.

?Let Your Characters Do the Talking

When I am very familiar with my characters, I like to let them have a conversation in my head, allowing them to speak without me writing. It?s a form of talking to one?s self, and it can be very helpful when you?re not sure where the conversation is going. I had always used this technique when writing my dialogue, and I found it particularly effective when I began screenwriting. Write up until the point that you plan on inserting dialogue and then simply imagine the characters in the situation. Many people often replay in their heads how a conversation might have gone differently or play out how an upcoming interview or date might go; this writing technique is very similar to that. Let it flow until it begins to get sidetracked, then write down what you remember. I find it helpful to allow the conversation to play out a few times before committing to any dialogue for two reasons. First, your memory may not be perfect and you may not remember the dialogue exactly as it played out. Second, there are hundreds of different ways a conversation could develop, and if you have multiple options, you will likely be able to hear which one sounds best when you reread them. Just because you are letting your characters do the talking doesn?t mean you won?t still (occasionally) imagine some very stinted, unnatural-sounding dialogue.

Utilizing these techniques can be a great way to improve your confidence as you begin inserting dialogue into your writing. You may use one or two of these ideas, or you may find that they are all beneficial in some way. As you write more, you will learn which of these techniques works best for you, and you will probably discover some techniques of your own. I love letting character situations play out in my head to create dialogue, but when I get stuck, I revert back to writing in the third-person, reviewing my notes for accuracy and consistency. You may find that a technique you loved to use when writing for one character simply does not produce the same results with another. And that?s OK. Writing dialogue is as personal as the characters for whom you are writing, and as with all writing, the more you do of it, the better you will become.

Source: http://beawriter.org/tips-for-improving-dialogue-in-fiction-writing/

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