Weekend Links: Writing Dialogue
A lot of people assume dialogue is easy to write because ‘It’s just a conversation! I have those all the time.’
But real conversations are, for the most part, really boring:
- Lots of verbal tics (uh, um, like, well, I mean)
- Lack of conflict (How was your day? Great, yours? Pretty good!)
- Cliches and repetitive phrasing
Writing dialogue that too closely mirrors real conversation will give you lots of repetition on the page. You don’t want that. Repetition is bad. It’s boring. It sucks. It’s totally lame.
All that said, here are a few essential reads re: writing dialogue that is great and awesome.
On Punctuation
On Saidisms and Dialogue Tags:
- He Said, She Shouted Loudly by Nathan Bransford
- Verbs and Dialogue Tags: Or, Stop Smiling Words by Annette Lyon
On Pacing and Creating Conflict:
- Am I Talking To Myself, Or Is This Guy Not Holding Up His End Of The Conversation? by Anne Mini
- Speak To Me, Protagonist. Or Blink Twice To Let Me Know That You’re Alive by Anne Mini
On Info-Dumping, Hollywood Narration and As You Know, Bob
(via stereobone)
