Getting it right – Dialogue

One of the hardest things for writers to do is create genuine, free flowing dialogue. It’s something our script writing counterparts have a much easier time developing. However in the middle of elegantly pacing a piece, while simultaneously layering the perfect word choice, dialogue has a way of almost ruining the narrative, and appearing bluntly out of thin air.

Some popular writers to look at for solid dialogue:

• John Steinbeck
• Ernest Hemingway – Specifically “Hills Like White Elephants”
• Stephan King
• Raymond Carver

It’s basically impossible to get to this level of notoriety and success without being adept at dialogue, as character interaction is what drives fiction forward. Steinbeck is a sort of Jesus when it comes to dialogue. He is known to have recorded his dialogue to look back at it later. “Hills Like White Elephants” is elegant in its way of leaving so much unsaid, but implied by the words actually spoken. King may be known for his thriller aspects, but the dialogue of his characters is what compels us to believe in the things that happen to them. And Carver has a mindful control of dialogue. Look at “Cathedral.” Similar to Hemingway’s HLWE, the power of interactions comes from what isn’t said between the characters. Sometimes less is more with dialogue.

To iron out the basics of writing dialogue see this: Common dialogue mistakes of beginning writers

Try to work these habits into your dialogue writing:

• Let it flow – don’t try and force characters to be a certain way
• Read dialogue out loud
• Work in silences – this will allow for narrative and subtleties of interaction
• Let the characters speak. Your thoughts should not be the ones readers hear
• Don’t be too realistic, but do allow for each character to have their own personal speech pattern

For more advanced dialogue tips read: Writing and editing expert

For me, the most important of these tips is to let your characters speak for themselves. As writers, we can be guilty of going into a story or situation with an agenda. I would argue that you shouldn’t plan anything. Have a premise, and simply note the thoughts your character thinks and words they speak. Once you are really into a scene, the dialogue will flow more naturally than if you  went in thinking, “oh they would do this, or that.”

Aside from that, remember that less is more. We don’t always say what we are thinking in real conversation. Sometimes people’s specific efforts to avoid speaking about something, actually tell the truth about their mindset. The writing expert’s tip about becoming a student of conversation is important. Listen to everyone, note how they speak and what they are actually saying. Using real world interactions is the best way to produce the most realistic humans for your fiction.

Journaling – Key to Unlocking Creative Potential

Robert on Flickr
IMG_6512 via Creative Commons

Journaling might sound like something reserved for the emotionally distraught preteen stage, but there is much to be gained from carrying this activity into adulthood. Along with a plethora of health benefits (Physical miracles), keeping a journal has the ability to unlock a writer’s mind to their inner potential.

If you don’t currently keep a journal, start slowly but diligently. Write for 10 minutes a day. Make sure to keep at it. Journaling can feel odd at first because it’s just you spending time alone with your thoughts. Sometimes the roadblock occurs: What is there to write about? The truth is, it doesn’t matter what you write about. Focus on taking your most honest thoughts about anything, and putting them onto a page. Over time you will naturally seek out new words and play thoughtfully with different ways of saying things.

Finding inspiration to write and create is one of the toughest aspects of the craft. Once you get started, things seem easier as the words start to flow. Journaling is something that should help with that initial road block. Here are a few strategies to get over that initial roadblock: Tips to start journaling.

Personally, I have just begun keeping a journal. So far it appears to help my creative efforts. Though I’m only a couple of days in, it feels productive to use words for no particular purpose or goal. Leaving my mind free to maneuver leads the “inner discussion” to several unexpected places. It feel like something is growing in my mind, though still in this infant stage of Journaling. It feels like further practice can lead increased mental agility and vocabulary.

Flicker – Image Catalogue “MacBook Air Still Life” Via Creative Commons

Flicker – Afsaneh Tajvidi “Travel journal” Via Creative Commons

Just a reminder, a large amount of what’s written in my journal is far from polished writing. Several examples would provide cringe-worthy moments for any English professor. For me its all about keeping the words moving, even if it means saying something like “oh well, I don’t really know what to say anymore, I guess I enjoy the color green,” and going from there. Your journal is whatever you want it to be: formal, polished, bullet-list, illustration, messy, unintelligible. Whatever method produces your best ideas is the method you need to use.

One of the most important benefits this activity will have on your writing is that it gives you a voice. Too often as students we can get caught up being academic and bland in our writing because that’s what we’re used to. No one can read your journal but you. By writing for yourself, you lose the urge to write for an audience. It goes along with popular thoughts about mental growth: In order to be loved you must first love yourself. You won’t fully develop something that other people want to read without exploring your motivations to write in the first place. Your Journal will help you find that inner balance and (at the risk of sounding like a yoga instructor) create an inner harmony that helps you identify more with the words you put onto paper.