Writing fictional dialogue can be tricky, because the writer must walk a fine line between portraying how real people talk without transcribing verbatim. Most conversation is dull or meandering. People say what they mean without subtext or they bury their real meaning under so much camouflage it’s impossible to guess what they really want. They repeat themselves or leave out vital information. Let’s face it: real people are trouble.
You can fix a lot of that in your fictional dialogue by getting to the point, providing just the right amount of information for your reader, and flagging your subtextual emotions and desires without beating anyone over the head with them.
But it’s not an easy task. In a recent post, C.S. Lakin offers her advice on getting it right. “Fiction writers need to write strategically and purposefully, every line, whether it be narrative, action, or dialogue,” she writes. Her advice starts with some major considerations:
- Your dialogue should fit the context and the character and should have a point.
- Your characters should have unique speaking styles.
- Characters should say the information they need to share with one another, not the information the reader needs as backstory.
- Use dialogue to hint at the subtext beneath what’s being said aloud.
- It’s ok to convey information with action instead of words.
Lakin shares some advice for making your dialogue flow. You don’t want your dialogue to sound choppy or get bogged down in back and forth “he said/she said.” She also shares a great tip for exploring and practicing subtext.
“First write your scene and have characters say outright what they want and mean,” Lakin writes. “Then go through and change the wording so that they aren’t saying those things. One way you can do this is by having a character talk about something other, while your narrative is revealing she is trying to say something else.” As you’re editing, finds dialogue that may be too direct and instead have the character divert attention by discussing something unrelated.
Lakin also suggests using silences to imply a character’s thoughts or feelings. Sometimes not responding to an emotional stimulus says more than a direct statement. Characters who avoid a sticky subject by discussing something mundane can ratchet up the tension, assuming the reader understands the stakes for both.
