As we get set for NaNoWriMo 2024, let’s consider how you’ll craft your characters’ dialogue on your way to 50k words.
Writing Tip for Today: Effective dialogue sounds like real speech—but isn’t. Here are some tips:
Avoid Nattering
When we put our characters on stage, the dialogue is prone to devolving into chit-chat and niceties. What counts as shooting the breeze with a friend or acquaintance signals boredom for readers. Readers demand that every line of dialogue increases tension and reveals something about the character or the goal.
One way to dodge the nattering is by keeping the introductions and pleasantries out of your dialogue. Don’t bother to introduce in actual dialogue—you can easily identify characters in the narrative. Unless you have a carefully laid-out plan to distract or reverse what readers think of your characters, refrain from using names at the beginning of a line. If readers already know Tom is speaking to Susan, writing “Susan, are you are going with me?” only slows down readers and is repetitive.
Keep dialogue free of the um, uhs and wells we use in everyday speech. As a rule, I will draft with these types of words in my dialogue. Then, upon revision, I nearly always strike them. Show hesitancy with your character’s body language and with what he/she actually says.
No Monologues or Speeches
If you find that your character is pontificating, consider adjusting the dialogue. I often advise writers to think of The Rule of Three. That is, for every three lines of spoken dialogue, break away to a brief action, inner thought or change speakers.
The Rule of Three will help you practice a good balance of speech to narrative and action to words. Dialogue enlivens the scene and brings it to life. But go on too long and soon the character becomes a talking head. Learn to weave back and forth so that readers will remain engaged in the story.
If your character is on stage alone, keep monologues—inner and outer—brief. I call this the Wilson Principle—in the Tom Hanks movie “Cast Away,” he’s stranded at sea, so he fashions a volleyball into a character he can talk to. A lone character giving a long soliloquy risks losing readers’ interest. Give your character someone to argue with.
Use the Rule of Three to develop a good balance of dialogue to narrative.
Dialogue Tells More
A writer can tell the reader what to pay attention to and what to believe. Yet if the dialogue doesn’t back up that vision, readers may be confused or lose interest. Since readers gravitate toward dialogue, pay special attention to what your characters are saying. Remember, every scene must have a purpose and also a winner/loser. Write dialogue which reflects those requirements.
As you craft your NaNoWriMo 2024 novel, don’t be afraid to write dialogue that seems over the top. You’ll be revising later. But sometimes, in writing uninhibited dialogue, you’ll find a gem. Let your subconscious channel deep emotion and motivations for your dialogue.
NaNoWriMo emphasizes finishing the month of November with at least 55,000 words written. Yer by concentrating on crafting dialogue that keeps readers on the edges of their seats, you can keep the story question (what the character wants and what stands in their way) at the forefront. And don’t forget to brush up on your dialogue form—use quotation marks and punctuation correctly so that readers can easily see what is spoken. Good Luck!
