When I'm writing dialogue, I often hear the voices of the characters in my head.
A Dialogue Prompt
"Dialogue...grows from the character and the conflict, and, in its turn, reveals the character and carries the action." —Lajos Egri from The Art of Dramatic Writing
Dialogue
Effective dialogue communicates character, moves the story forward, and reinforces theme without stating it outright. This is called subtext—the meaning of what is being said is implicit.
In other words, the reader understands the meaning even though it is unexpressed by the characters. Often what the characters don’t say is more important than what they do say. Characters pausing, being silent, not responding to what another character says is also an important part of dialogue writing.
When I'm writing dialogue, I often hear the voices of the characters in my head. Sometimes I plan out a scene or what the conflict is going to be, but it’s the voices that propel me forward.
If I'm feeling stuck with my dialogue, I read some plays or screenplays (even if I'm writing fiction) to immerse myself in dialogue and that usually gets the ball rolling again.
I also eavesdrop on conversations when I'm in public which not only tunes me into dialogue, but also it provides me with material for more stories.
Just don't get caught! I have found people don't like it when you write down their conversations!
Dialogue Writing Tips
These are not rules but some general advice for writing dialogue. You will find many examples that subvert this advice. If you are new to dialogue writing, I hope these suggestions help.
