[/caption]The hardest thing for most writers to get right is natural dialog. Characters often sound stilted and unreal. Dialog should seem real to the reader, but should avoid the umms, errs, and false starts of real speech.
Go out into a public place and eavesdrop on conversation, record two people having a conversation, or try reading a verbatim transcript of a live show. You will find that the it is almost unintelligible. You don't want your dialogue to be this true to life unless you are trying to convey a quirk about the character, such as a speech impediment, low-level education, or some psychological problem.
Finding the Character's Voice
Here are a few ways to help you find a character's "voice" and even define his personality:
- Where are they from (geographically)?
- How old are they?
- What sort of education did she have?
- What he does for a living?
These will affect whether your character is terse or long-winded, whether they use technical terms or the average person could understand them. They also help decide what sort of slang your characters will use (is it out-of-date, offensive, or do they use none at all?)
If your character comes from someplace where they have a distinctive way of talking, don't bog the reader down by spelling out how they say words phonetically. Instead, use words that are unique to where they are from. A Scotsman would use words like "wee" and "bonnie", while a character from the Southern United States might say "Y'all".
Avoid the Info Dump
"Info dumps" are lines of dialog that are there solely to tell the reader of something. This type of dialog usually start with the phrase, "As you know."
For example:
"As you know, Charlie, the quantum flux capacitor is the only way we can get back to our own time. Since they broke it, there is no way to bend time and space to get home."
Instead, use something like this:
"Damn it, Charlie, they broke the flux capacitor, now we'll never get home."
Writing dialog can be fun.
With all that said, I'm going to say there is no "right" way to write dialog. You just have to practice it. After awhile, it will flow naturally. Not only that, but soon it will be fun as well.
What tips do you have for someone who is trying to write dialog? Please share them with us below.
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