Imply emotion through showing rather than stating. I've discussed show don't tell, but dialogue is one of the many ways to put it into use.
Rather than telling us he was desperate when came to tell Laura his news, show that he was breathlessly skidding over the floors to get to her. "Desperate" is a uncharacterized term, it doesn't tell us that he was rushing across the hall, readers can't really envision him doing anything particular except for being desperate. On the other hand, saying he skidded across the floors portrays his actions and gives us an impression what we should feel.
Onto the main point. Instead of saying "he said nervously," give us a clip of his actions, was he scratching his neck while talking, or looking across the hall. Here is one of the biggest thing I've learned about dialogue:
Readers love figuring things out.
Showing is one of the ways you can let readers feel like their interacting and connecting to the characters, rather than characterizing your emotions in an undefined adjetive.
YOU ARE READING
The Right To Write
Non-FictionAre you a writer? Did you think it was going to be easy? Well then, you've got yourself in some pretty messy business. From plot twists to character development. From suspense to finding a writing tone. Step by step I'll take you into the li...
