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artemis-could · 3 years

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How to write dialogues

Personally, I think writing a dialogue is the most hardest task in the story. Many of our chapters might contain dope dialogues but mostly we can go a whole chapter without dialogue like ‘They said nothing throughout the chapter’. But come to think of it, dialogues ensure the reader that the story is moving on, that there is some sort of development in the characters. In short, dialogues will make your story leap forward and so sound like the characters are working for their goals.

But the real task is writing the right dialogue that would suit the situation and wouldn’t sound like you gave away too much information. Here are some of the rules that might help writers when they’re stuck on a dialogue in a scene.

1) Read

The first key to writing a perfect dialogue script is to read. Usually when I’m stuck on a dialogue, I would randomly open up one of my old books and observe how other writer’s wrote a conversation between two characters. If it doesn’t work for you, you can go for a movie. Watch a movie, drama or just sit next to two people talking or debating. Observe their actions and pauses, how they stop at a point or stutter or how often they use a phrase.

2) Cut out extra scenes

It often gets tedious for a writer when they’re stuck in a chapter without dialogues - which usually happens when their chapter is overloaded with important descriptions. You can cut out a chapter or let the characters speak as descriptions. For example:

Character A (to character B): ” Looks like someone long abandoned this house, there’s dust everywhere”.

It’s a simple example but just to explain that the other character can speak about the associated person, place or plan if you’re looking forward to decrease the descriptions.

3) Provide a unique voice to your characters

By providing a unique voice to your characters, not only does it create a diverse cast but also excites the reader when they naturally know who’s speaking. An easy way of using this rule is by removing the speaker’s name or pronoun (she said, he said) and let the reader know who’s speaking on their own.

“You can’t just give away your coin collection!”

“They’re taking up way too much space, I don’t need them anyways”

“But you spend your entire childhood collecting these?”

In the above example, we know that there’s a conversation going on between character A and Character B. When you’re writing a dialogue scene with more than two characters, you can’t use the above rule as it can make the reader confused with who’s talking. In those situations where more than two are conversating, you can go for names and pronouns.

4) Say your dialogues out loud

If you feel like one of your dialogue or the complete conversation doesn’t make sense, say your dialogues out loud. It can help the dialogue sound more smooth and real and may provide a natural flow to the conversation as you write.

5) Keep it real

‘Keep it real’ which is one of the writing rules you may hear very often. Now what does it mean to ‘keep it real’ while writing a dialogue?. If two characters are meeting up in the scene, cut off greetings (they make the scene sound uninteresting and dull). Remember who the character is talking to and so change their tones in accordance, for example the reader would use a much lighter tone with their parents or elders or a rough tone when they’re around their friends, colleagues or enemies.

Cut out small talks or pointless things a person would say in real life. Many times people stutter half way through what they’re saying or stop mid way in a conversation but avoid adding that in your book and cut out extra information which isn’t important for the development of your character.

6) Actually write

You have to write to get started with the dialogues haha. Goodluck with that.

�� _Ace

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artemis-could · 3 years

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Prompt number 1

The autumn breeze carried my hair, as I jogged, crunching fallen leaves under the heel of my boots. Fresh morning dew settled on wilted plants and empty trees, every person, old and young were out for their morning stroll. There were plenty of couples, bonded by soul and leaning upon each other like blankets to warm.

Stop it, you've always wanted to be the 'different' one. I reminded myself.

Couples are weak people bonded by soul to share their eternal pain, to grow old together.

I wasn't the week one at all, I didn't need bonding, I didn't need someone who'd hold my hand when I cried. I was my own hero.

But no longer at night, when my dreams would go against me. I grimaced at the memory of the boy I saw in my dream last night. He wore his usual light blue shirt, carried the same light copper hair and the scent.

The worst part of the dream was the scent, the eerie aroma of the woods and light patter of rain on the soil. And last night's dream was a nightmare, I still remembered the long lasting hug, how I craved every bit of it, how I clingled onto him tightly when I was slipping out of my dream.

He was worried about me, he had whispered something I didn't remember anymore. But here I was, thinking about him again.

I carried on with my walk, distracting myself by watching two toddlers play along. But he was still there, somewhere back in my mind, sitting still, watching me intently.

It was that when I heard the most melodic sound for the first time, a light chuckle followed by a body smashing into mine as I fall face-first.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, I just-"

"You?" I ask, ignoring the sting on my cheek as I contemplate what stands infront of me. A feeling between shock and awe takes over me. His copper hair stands out in all directions, eyes sparkling with mischievousness and shirt, the same sky blue.

"I-" he stops midway, staring at me as if he was trying to recognize me too. There's was a sudden urge in me, an urge to hug him, to introduce myself or stay shocked in my place. It felt like we knew each other for ages, like we were something before this life, like a long lost friend I met once again. I had so much to say, but settled for nothing.

We stared at each other for what seemed like ages before a male voice spoke up.

"Are you gonna apologize or are you waiting for her to file a case against you?" the man, who I assumed was his father, spoke.

I laughed and stood up, brushing the dust off my clothes and shook my head.

"It's fine" I smiled, still lost in the trance. The boy looked at me, his smile vanishing as his father dragged him away. I turned on my heels and started to walk in the opposite direction, my heart hammering in my chest.

Go back

Turn around.

Something at the back of my mind spoke but I ignored it with a shrug. But my instincts took over and I risked looking back at him and surprisingly he was staring into my eyes, looking over his shoulder. I turned away again, my cheeks heating up from the eye contact and never looked back.

That night, I slept peacefully, but I didn't dream of him. The following days, I wasn't bothered by his thoughts anymore and I'd find myself wandering in the same park everyday, wishing if he'd bump into me again but he didn't. The park was back to its own routine, couples leaning on each other and leaves falling from trees like usual. The wind blew like it always did, but never like that day, the day I'd met him.

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