Comments on: My Dialogue Sucks: Tips For Improving Dialogue In Your Novel http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/ Adventures in Writing, Publishing and Book Marketing Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:41:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ondi http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-27863 Ondi Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:11:40 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-27863 I love the dialog that Harper Lee gives her characters in "To Kill a Mockingbird". She writes dialog so specific, seldom needs tag lines are needed. Give it a read, or a reread. This book helps me every time. I love the dialog that Harper Lee gives her characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird”. She writes dialog so specific, seldom needs tag lines are needed.

Give it a read, or a reread. This book helps me every time.

]]> By: Rod Griffiths http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-27827 Rod Griffiths Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:52:47 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-27827 Try to avoid two very similar characters talking. I t should be possible to tell who is talking by the language that they use. I have sometimes collected all the speech from each character and run analytical software like reading age and Gender Genie on each seperately. So for instance when one of my characters, in 'Side Effect' who is a professor, is talking to his teenage daughter, he should come up as male on Gender Genie with a high reading age, and the daughter should be female with a reading age several years younger. Things like sentence length and linking words make a big difference. See Side Effect to see if you think it works. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Side-Effect-Like-Falling-ebook/dp/B003VS0DUA/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1314190211&sr=1-2) Try to avoid two very similar characters talking. I t should be possible to tell who is talking by the language that they use. I have sometimes collected all the speech from each character and run analytical software like reading age and Gender Genie on each seperately. So for instance when one of my characters, in ‘Side Effect’ who is a professor, is talking to his teenage daughter, he should come up as male on Gender Genie with a high reading age, and the daughter should be female with a reading age several years younger. Things like sentence length and linking words make a big difference.
See Side Effect to see if you think it works. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Side-Effect-Like-Falling-ebook/dp/B003VS0DUA/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1314190211&sr=1-2)

]]> By: Glynis Smy http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12663 Glynis Smy Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:48:24 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-12663 I have been told my dialogue is my strong point. When told it gave me a confidence boost. If only I could get my descriptions to work the same way for me. I become each character and imagine them chatting. I cannot do this for a field or leafy lane. :) Interesting article. I have been told my dialogue is my strong point. When told it gave me a confidence boost. If only I could get my descriptions to work the same way for me.
I become each character and imagine them chatting. I cannot do this for a field or leafy lane. :)

Interesting article.

]]> By: Jennie Nash: The Making of a Novel: Developing Character Through Dialogue | Books in Media http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-12579 Jennie Nash: The Making of a Novel: Developing Character Through Dialogue | Books in Media Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:58:44 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-12579 [...] the great list of do’s and don’ts at The Creative Penn and some solid tips at Peder Hill’s [...] [...] the great list of do’s and don’ts at The Creative Penn and some solid tips at Peder Hill’s [...]

]]> By: Icy Sedgwick http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-7521 Icy Sedgwick Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:16:57 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-7521 I always used to have problems with dialogue - I was so wrapped up in setting the scene and painting a picture for the reader that I forgot to focus on what characters said to each other, and every character ended up talking like me! The best dialogue enhances the character so that you can leave out the attribution tags and readers still know who is talking. I read plays, and decided to put my two film degrees to good use, and studied the way dialogue is portrayed on film. I got a much better grasp of how dialogue works in fiction rather than real life, and now I try to "play a movie" of the scene in my head, and write down what my characters say to each other. I always used to have problems with dialogue – I was so wrapped up in setting the scene and painting a picture for the reader that I forgot to focus on what characters said to each other, and every character ended up talking like me! The best dialogue enhances the character so that you can leave out the attribution tags and readers still know who is talking. I read plays, and decided to put my two film degrees to good use, and studied the way dialogue is portrayed on film. I got a much better grasp of how dialogue works in fiction rather than real life, and now I try to “play a movie” of the scene in my head, and write down what my characters say to each other.

]]> By: Who said that? Some thoughts on dialogue http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-6207 Who said that? Some thoughts on dialogue Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:47:36 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-6207 [...] on this aspect of writing, Joanna Penn on her blog The Creative Penn has an article called My Dialogue Sucks: tips for improving dialogue in your novel. It’s well worth a [...] [...] on this aspect of writing, Joanna Penn on her blog The Creative Penn has an article called My Dialogue Sucks: tips for improving dialogue in your novel. It’s well worth a [...]

]]> By: Sidebar | Meryl.net http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-5909 Sidebar | Meryl.net Fri, 21 May 2010 18:45:39 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-5909 [...] My Dialogue Sucks: Tips for Improving Dialogue in Your Novel: A wonderful collection of highlights from various articles around the web. [...] [...] My Dialogue Sucks: Tips for Improving Dialogue in Your Novel: A wonderful collection of highlights from various articles around the web. [...]

]]> By: Andrea Wenger http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-5885 Andrea Wenger Wed, 19 May 2010 04:34:28 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-5885 Great tips, Joanna. Dialogue tends to be my strong suit, but when it fails, it's usually for one of two reasons: (1) the dialogue serves a plot purpose rather than a character purpose; or (2) male dialogue sounds too feminine. If you find that the dialogue isn't in the voice of the character, ask yourself, are the words coming from the character, or from the author's need to move the plot in a particular direction? If the latter, look for a character-driven motivation for the speaker to steer the conversation that way, and experiment with different wording to make the dialogue more authentic. Keep in mind that men tend to be more direct in their speech than women. So while a woman might ask, "Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?" a man would more likely say, "Let's go out to dinner tonight." That's not to say you can't have a role reversal. But that dynamic should be part of the overall character development, and the dialogue should merely reflect it. Great tips, Joanna. Dialogue tends to be my strong suit, but when it fails, it’s usually for one of two reasons: (1) the dialogue serves a plot purpose rather than a character purpose; or (2) male dialogue sounds too feminine.
If you find that the dialogue isn’t in the voice of the character, ask yourself, are the words coming from the character, or from the author’s need to move the plot in a particular direction? If the latter, look for a character-driven motivation for the speaker to steer the conversation that way, and experiment with different wording to make the dialogue more authentic.
Keep in mind that men tend to be more direct in their speech than women. So while a woman might ask, “Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?” a man would more likely say, “Let’s go out to dinner tonight.” That’s not to say you can’t have a role reversal. But that dynamic should be part of the overall character development, and the dialogue should merely reflect it.

]]> By: yreadthis http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-5835 yreadthis Tue, 18 May 2010 08:11:55 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-5835 An novelist knows what to do when he gets suppressed the ideas of yours could also help an novelist to get bloom again if they use it in an proper way to utilize them properly. An novelist knows what to do when he gets suppressed the ideas of yours could also help an novelist to get bloom again if they use it in an proper way to utilize them properly.

]]> By: Julie Jordan http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/05/17/my-dialogue-sucks/comment-page-1/#comment-5827 Julie Jordan Tue, 18 May 2010 01:04:43 +0000 http://www.thecreativepenn.com/?p=4938#comment-5827 A key point to remember is that real people don't speak using perfect grammar. They run words together, mix up tenses, interrupt each other and don't finish sentences. People use contractions, stuffer, and stumble over words. The absolute easiest way to make your characters believable and real is to make their dialogue believable and real. The dialogue has to sound like real people speaking to one other the way they would in real life. Even dialects can be accomplished if you speak in a dialect - just listen closely to yourself (or someone you know) and write what you hear. It's not easy, but it adds dimension to the characters and to the dialogue. Each character should have his/her own set of speech idioms which makes recognizing speakers easy for the readers. Example: if a child stutters, he should be the only one of your characters who stutters. Make it part of the Character Chart you've prepared for each of your characters. Get a Character Chart at http://bit.ly/cuNP4s - it can be modified to suit your needs, and is copyright-free. A key point to remember is that real people don’t speak using perfect grammar. They run words together, mix up tenses, interrupt each other and don’t finish sentences. People use contractions, stuffer, and stumble over words. The absolute easiest way to make your characters believable and real is to make their dialogue believable and real. The dialogue has to sound like real people speaking to one other the way they would in real life.
Even dialects can be accomplished if you speak in a dialect – just listen closely to yourself (or someone you know) and write what you hear. It’s not easy, but it adds dimension to the characters and to the dialogue.
Each character should have his/her own set of speech idioms which makes recognizing speakers easy for the readers. Example: if a child stutters, he should be the only one of your characters who stutters. Make it part of the Character Chart you’ve prepared for each of your characters. Get a Character Chart at http://bit.ly/cuNP4s – it can be modified to suit your needs, and is copyright-free.

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