Writing Superpowers - Dialogue

 

The hosts of a kidlit podcast spoke about how their superpowers helped them in working with author clients. That conversation got me to thinking about what I might say are my superpowers and how they help the authors I work for as an editor. We will look at my three superpowers over the next few weeks. 

I write good dialogue.

It might take a few drafts to get there, but the final copy flows naturally. It isn't interrupted by useless tags, doesn't dump a whole bunch of information on the reader, and makes each character unique.

Let's talk about dialogue for a moment. Here is a typical conversation you might have as you enter a meeting with a colleague.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey," my colleague responded.

I ask, "How are you doing?"

"Okay," he said. "You?"

"Fine." I sat down in my chair.

"Did you read the materials Mary emailed to us?" he asked.

Nodding, I replied, "Yes. Hope we aren't here for too long."

"It will take as long as it takes." 

Mary entered the boardroom. "Great, you're both here. Let's get started. We might have to order lunch in." 

"Wonderful," I replied. 

Could you make it through this passage without yawning? 

Dialogue isn't boring everyday speech. It serves a purpose: to move the story along and engage the reader. Unlike the example above, greetings and small talk are often eliminated because they don't serve that purpose.

Tags help identify who is speaking to the reader, but too many "he said" and "she said" tags interrupt the flow of engaging dialogue. Renowned author Jerry Jenkins once rewrote a book by incorporating actions and descriptions to attribute dialogue to characters instead of using the "he said/she said" tags. 

Side note: In writing, we may change up said with other words: exclaimed, grumbled, and my all-time favorite, smiled. Have you ever tried to talk while you're smiling? Said often goes unnoticed by the reader, who is focusing on what the character is saying, which is why it is the preferred tag. Let your characters' actions communicate their emotions.

Dialogue shouldn't dump a bunch of information on the reader. I once read a Civil War novel about two brothers that spent pages and pages having characters share stories about the current conflict. Instead of moving the story along, this info dump distanced me from the characters. By the end of the novel, I felt I really didn't know the brothers at all. Any information that is communicated through dialogue needs to move the story forward. 

Good dialogue, when blended with action--and sometimes intentional inaction--helps you to create unique characters. While a character's dialect or accent can make them stand out, pitch, volume, and tone are equally important. Other things to consider:

• Setting and background can influence how characters speak.
• Personality influences how they speak.
• The way characters speak could change depending upon the situation they are in.

Let's look at the interaction from earlier, with small talk eliminated and more action and dialogue that moves the story forward.

Mark peered over the screen of his laptop where he had been tip-tapping away, to flash me a smile. His fluorescent white teeth made me squint. “Did you read the materials Mary emailed to us?”

Marching to the opposite side of the room, I slid the laptop bag off my creaky, middle-aged shoulder and placed my belongings on the table. My lips curled into a sneer. “Yes. Hope we aren’t here for too long.”

“My, my, my,” he said. “Someone forgot their gratitudes and affirmations this morning.” 

Mary waltzed in before I could respond. “Great, you’re both here. Let’s get started.” She tapped the pile of client folders she had carried in. “We might have to order in for lunch.” 

My fingers curled around my cup of tea. “Wonderful.” I hope Mark is available to pick up the kids from school. 

Does this version give you a totally different idea of what is going on here? Does it change how you view the characters' relationship? Do you see some personality shining through? Is it more engaging? Another edit or two and it might find its way into a story. 

What is one of your writing superpowers? What do you like best about writing dialogue? What are your biggest struggles with writing dialogue?

Cheryl C. Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of four children’s books including, A Christmas Kindness, released by 4RV Publishing. A blogger and book reviewer, she lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three adult children. Visit Cheryl's website at https://ccmalandrinos.com or her children’s book blog at https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com