In a post on Lit Reactor, Peter Derk says keeping a dialogue journal can help you spice up your characters’ voices. “The point is to write down snippets of things people say, anything spoken aloud that’s worth writing down,” he says. “The idea isn’t to build a bank of phrases that you can rob whenever you need something cute. You’re not necessarily writing these things down so that you can return to them later. You’re writing them down to get a feel for the way people speak, for translating real talk into written words.”
Rather than quoting other people verbatim, you’re practicing your listening and developing your ear for how people really talk. “Instead of breathing personality into your characters by telling me their age in years, their eye color, or the kind of job they have, give me one piece of memorable dialog,” Derk says. “If you’ve got a blank notecard in your pocket every day, you’ll get in the habit of finding something to fill it with.”
Take special note of idioms, unique descriptions or turns of phrase, or words that people use incorrectly. “DON’T correct it as you write it down,” Derk advises. “Write it down exactly as it was spoken.”
As a side benefit, this habit can make social situations less fraught and make small talk more interesting. Make a point to capture only natural language, not speeches or performances, which are rehearsed. You’re looking for spontaneity not planning.
