Creative Effective Dialog

Creating Effective Dialog

Dialog is conversation on the printed page. We engage in conversation many times throughout a day; yet when we develop a story, the dialog is one of the most difficult elements to master. An important requirement in writing dialog is to intimately know and understand your characters – the antagonist, the protagonist, and all minor characters, no matter how unlikable they are. How do they think? What is their goals and motivation in each scene? What is their overall outlook on life?

All dialog needs to move the plot forward in some way or it is useless and detracts from the intent of the story. Dialog should provide new information to the characters, reveal new obstacles that the viewpoint character must overcome to achieve her goal, or remind the characters and readers of their goals plus accelerate the emotion, increase the suspense, and make the situation more urgent for the characters.

While good dialog is essential for a great story, it is only one leg of a three-legged stool. Dialog, narrative, and action must be balanced to create a three-dimensional feel for the reader. Certainly, there are scenes in all of our stories that work best with only narrative or only action or only dialog, but emphasis on the other elements of fiction in the following scenes will return balance to the story and engage the reader more effectively.

The most effective way to integrate setting into a story is to use all three of the fiction elements: dialog, action, and narrative. Weaving these elements together helps the setting form a background for the story and not over power the plot line. One important aspect to remember is that care needs to be taken not to use narrative to describe the setting when you can have a viewpoint character interacting with the setting in a lively discussion with another character.

The goal in writing dialog is to engage the readers to feel what our characters feel and see what our characters see.

What Makes a Great Story

What Makes a Great Story?           

Five elements must work together in balance to create a great story. They include:

Ø  Characters
Ø  Conflict
Ø  Dialogue
Ø  Setting
Ø  Impact

Characters in a great story are multi-layered with both strengths and weaknesses. Memorable characters will have uniqueness, individuality, and complexity with both the negative and positive traits of real people.  Characters reveal who they are by what they say and do, which leads to the need for intense conflict and real, believable dialog. Every great story revolves around both external and internal conflict. A good conflict must appeal to the emotions and address a felt need, or a universal problem. To capture the reader’s attention, a great story begins with a conflict; something is changing. From the initial conflict, the story develops around how the characters respond to each conflict to obtain a final resolution.

 The setting of a great story must provide a strong sense of place and be integral to the plot. The setting can influence the outcome of the story and serve as the antagonist of the story — man versus nature model. The setting can real character, add texture, and set the mood of the story.

The dialog within a great story will reveal the character speaking. It must contribute to the telling of the story and move the story forward. The dialog should not be used for exposition, except in small doses. It should build the reader’s interest and apprehension.

The impact of the story makes a story memorable. The goal of the author is to satisfy the reader. If the reader is not satisfied, she will feel cheated. The ending is the last impression of the author and her work. It will be the deciding factor of they will read another book by the same author or recommend the author’s books to others.