Anyway, please welcome Leann Betts as she shares:
Let’s Talk -- Dialogue techniques, By Leeann Betts
Dialogue breaks up the narrative, the exposition, the description. Dialogue is a great place to show conflict, set up foreshadowing, and fill in backstory.
Let’s take a look at each of these purposes for dialogue.
- Show conflict: we don’t need fight scenes to show that two characters are at odds with each other. We can also do that through dialogue, both verbal and internal. Here’s an example:
Sally paused in the doorway. “Oh, Bob, I didn’t expect to see you here. How are you doing?”
Bob glanced up from his newspaper then returned to his crossword puzzle. “And why shouldn’t I be here?”
“I thought you were out of town this week.”
He peered at her over the top of his glasses. “Did you have something special planned while I was away?”
In this example, neither one answers the other’s question directly. Both seem suspicious of the other. Bob’s rude treatment by continuing his puzzle and then looking at her over his glasses implies something is going on, but their words could stand alone and you’d know there was some tension between these two characters.
Let’s use internal dialogue to show conflict:
Sally paused in the doorway. “Oh, Bob, I didn’t expect to see you here. How are you doing?”
She already knew the answer wouldn’t be good. Why do I even bother?
Bob glanced up from his newspaper then returned to his crossword puzzle. “And why shouldn’t I be here?”
“I thought you were out of town this week.” That’s what he’d said yesterday. Not that she could ever trust him to be honest with her.
He peered at her over the top of his glasses. “Did you have something special planned while I was away?”
In this example, we see the exact same dialogue, but now we hear a little from Sally. She sounds weary of the conflict, whatever it is, and she doesn’t trust Bob.
- Set up foreshadowing: foreshadowing is the technique of alerting the characters and the reader that something is going to happen, or might happen.
Marcus slumped in his chair. “I knew this day would come. And I knew I wouldn’t be ready for it.”
“Don’t be such a prognosticator.” His wife rubbed his shoulders. “Sometimes I think you’re the Grinch in disguise.”
He glanced at the empty mantel. “The kids are going to hate me.”
“And why should they do that?”
He buried his face in his hands. “I feel like I’ve stolen their Christmas.”
We see here that although his wife doesn’t realize it, he feels like he is the Grinch who stole Christmas. Using this dialogue builds the tension in the scene until we get to the reveal.
- Fill in backstory through dialogue, but never use “as you know” or over-explain the situation. The reader will get it.
Maggie sat. “What aren’t you telling me?”
How was he going to explain without telling her his entire life story? Again. “I went to see at eleven.”
She nodded. “I know.”
He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “What you don’t know is that I died that same year.”
She gasped.
“And I was reborn.”
“How?”
“I recreated myself.” He sat back. “Our lives are based on a lie. And someone besides me knows the truth. Which means we’re in danger.”
In this example, he starts with one thing she already knows, then progresses rapidly into six facts she didn’t know: he died, he was reborn, he took on a false identity, he isn’t who she thinks he is (their lives are a fabrication), somebody else has found out, and they are in danger.
Hopefully you’ve seen some new ways to use dialogue in your writing. It doesn’t matter what genre you write, these techniques will enliven your dialogue and keep your readers turning pages.
Author Bio:
Leeann Betts pens contemporary mysteries and suspense in Denver, Colorado, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, writes historical suspense. When they aren’t writing about dead bodies, you can find them at www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com or www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Leeann has book 1 in a mystery series out, No Accounting for Murder. Donna has a short story collection, Second Chances and Second Cups. Together they penned Nuggets of Writing Gold, chock full of articles and essays on the craft of writing. Their books are available at Amazon and Smashwords.Thank you so much, Leann! I have to say I learned a few things from this article.
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Thanks for being my guest today, Leann. This is timely for me :)
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