In a post on Lit Hub, Maya Kessler examines the power of dialogue in revealing character. “In my writing, dialogue often drives the narrative,” she says. “Put two people in a room together—it’s most likely that one of them is trying to achieve something. And the responses of the other will determine how far they can progress in that direction, how far they can push each other’s boundaries. What will they say to get what they want?”
Kessler often begins with a sentence fragment that lacks context, but suggests a desire, such as “Can I have a word?” From there, she continues a back and forth, determining what each character is seeking in the moment. Sometimes, she lets dialogue tell the story to her. “I start off with a little prior knowledge and let the characters reveal the facts through their answers,” she explains. Often, details about backstory reveal themselves as she writes. “When you let a character decide for themselves, they won’t necessarily do what you want them to,” Kessler writes.
