It’s that time of the week – Discussion Tuesday.
From those who are new, each week I post a topic (relevant to my WIP) and try to unravel the mysteries and perspectives of it.
Last weeks topic was Information Dumps, it wasn’t as engaging as the week prior (Profanity in novels) nevertheless it still attracted some engagement. But if you did missed out you can contribute on the link above.
For now, this week’s topic is:
Dialogue
I think writing dialogue isn’t about replicating a real-life conversation. It’s about giving an impression of it and improving on it.
Some real-life conversations can lead nowhere but as readers we don’t what to read about nothing, we need conflict and motivation in dialogue.
Give the characters conflicting goals – one of them wants one thing, the other something else. Even if it doesn’t end in a shouting match here and now, the underlying tension will be all you need to keep the readers turning those pages. And when characters have conflicting goals, consequences are sure to follow later in the novel.
Sometimes a simple exchange of information between characters will be exactly what is required.
Your dialogue, therefore, should advance the plot in some way
But for the most part, go for tension and disagreement and conflict between the characters.
How do you create effective dialogue?
Post your comments and answers below. If you think someone has an interesting point of view and answer, please invite them or share this post to them.
#DWTSmith #dialogue