In a new post, Tiffany Yates Martin offers advice for writing meaningful dialogue. “So much of our communication lies not in the words we use, but in their meanings,” she says. “What we say versus what we actually mean. What we say and don’t mean. What we mean and don’t say. What meaning our conversational partners may take from what we say that we did or did not intend.”
Often, dialogue fails to consider nuance and subtext. “Good dialogue is like poetry, regular language distilled down into layers of meaning in a fairly economical format,” Yates Martin writes. “Strong dialogue exists on multiple levels: not just what is said, but all the sedimentary layers of what is not said.” People use words to convey information, but also rely on tone, context, silences, and body language.
Oblique communication carries a lot of water in your stories:
- Filling in character background
- Offering insight into relationship dynamics
- Creating context
- Creating conflict
- Furthering the plot and raising the stakes.
That’s not to say there’s no room for literal communication. When characters speak directly, without clear subtext, “it might suggest something different about their relationship or mood or personality, their current state of mind or situation,” Yates Martin says. “Maybe it would show how open and straightforward a couple is. Maybe it would indicate that they are deeply connected. Maybe it would show they are at a breaking point that blows up into unfettered sincerity.”
She suggests looking at your own dialogue to see what’s being said other than the obvious. “Why are these people having this conversation at this moment in the first place?” she suggests asking. “How does it move the story forward? What does it reveal about their characters or relationship or current state? What other factors are in play besides just the words: the tone, the phrasing, the word choice, the silences, the expressions, body language, reactions?”
To practice, start paying attention during your daily conversation. While real-life chat isn’t the same as story dialogue, you can gain some ideas for creating layers and meaning. “Once you start paying attention to everyday communication, you may find that it opens up a whole Narnia world that you were not consciously aware of,” Yates Martin says. “Analyzing your real-life conversations this way may feel like crawling up into your own navel or getting lost in the rabbit warren of how much is happening beneath the surface. But it’s narrative gold for your story.”
