Learn how to use dialogue in a way that will move the plot along while revealing character and temperament.

Dialogue is an essential part of fiction writing. Without it the story would soon become dry and boring and the reader would lose interest. Here are some simple pointers of how to improve fiction by using dialogue.

Impart Information

Use dialogue to reveal information and move the story along. “I saw Samantha with a strange man at the mall.”

Reveal Character

It is possible to show a person’s nature by the what they say. “I threw the letter away. I know it was addressed to you but I didn’t think you should read it.”

Natural Sounding

Dialogue in fiction should sound natural and flow easily. This does not mean it should be a direct copy of the way people speak. In real life, there are a lot of ums and ahs and wasted words. Compare these two versions of a greeting over the fence.

“Uh, hello, John. I thought I might catch you out here. Lovely morning isn’t it? Um…did you hear anything strange out here last night?”

“Good morning, John. I was hoping to catch you here – do you have any idea what the disturbance was last night?”

Use Contractions

Contractions make the dialogue flow like real speech. It helps to read the sentence out loud to see if is sounds stilted or unnatural. Which of these sounds natural?

“I do not know why she was angry when I had not done anything wrong.”

“I don’t know why she was angry when I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

Don’t overdo Dialect

It’s alright to put in a couple of sentences or the odd word to express a local dialect but an entire novel written in this style is a problem unless the reader is familiar with it.

Appropriate Speech Style

A common mistake is to let all the characters speak in the same way. Listen to different age groups and note how they talk. A six year old boy will use different words and speech patterns to a thirteen year old girl. Make sure the characters sound believable.

Who is Speaking?

Read each passage of dialogue carefully to ensure that it is clear who is speaking. It can be useful to slot in an action to keep the reader on track. Have a look at this conversation between a mother and daughter:

“What’s wrong, Jenny?”

“That guy was a real jerk.”

“What did he do?”

Jenny pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed her eyes. “He suggested I go on a crash diet if I wanted to see him again.”

He Said She Said

Contrary to some schools of thought, there is nothing wrong with saying he said/she said, nor with more descriptive language such as she muttered, he shouted or she spat. The trick is to balance them out. Sometimes it is possible to convey the emotion through the actual speech but other times a qualifier is helpful.

“You pompous, arrogant idiot.” He said under his breath.

“I saw what you did to her.” She raged.

Dialogue is the soul of a story. Breathe life into it and the readers will be captivated.