The Whimsical Muse

03 - Let's Talk About Dialog

If I have learned anything about writer's it is that we are a different and unique breed of people altogether, we are artistic people and as such can be overly sensitive regarding our work. I have a number of friends whom I felt were very talented writers who ended their potential careers based on their perception of what they viewed as an 'excessively critical review' of their work.

I currently devote far more time writing fanfiction than I do my original works, yet I am still very much aware of the fact that readers of this type of writing are no different than any other reader. This includes negative comments from various readers, something that can work for or against even the most thick-skinned writer. In my experience, the only negativity that seems to be unavoidable concerns fan-fiction and comes from those who have difficulty with fan-fiction period.

With that in mind, I still devote a set amount of time researching writing techniques and styles through articles written by published authors. Again, I caution aspiring authors to 'take it with a grain of salt' in terms of negative comments regarding their work whether it is fan-fiction or an original work.

I have found Pinterest to be a great resource in the area of research. Unfortunately, I also find that some of it falls incredibly short in terms of explanation. Sometimes there is a link to more information such as an article or a blog, but this is not always the case. For example, today I ran across a Pin entitled 'Dialogue Errors Writers Should Avoid and All Costs' but what caught my attention is the "avoid at all costs" part of that statement.

Some of the items on the list below I agree with to a certain extent yet some of I reject completely.

Stilted Exchanges: Because your dialogue may not sound natural. Read it aloud and see if it sounds like something your character would say.

A stilted conversation, or exchange as it is referred to in the Pin, simply means the dialog is "not flowing continuously or naturally" as defined by the Free Dictionary.

Of course you want your dialogue to sound natural for your character! While this Pin points out a crucial issue that should not be ignored, this type of 'exchange' is necessary and functions well when used sparingly and under certain circumstances. Yet that the same time, depending on the plot or situation in your storyline there will be situations where a character may speak in such a manner for various reasons making this speech pattern totally appropriate. They may be hiding something for one! We all can get rather uncomfortable when we're hiding something like a big secret from a friend, this can affect the way we talk, making our voice or choice of words seem different or uncharacteristic. Sometimes having the same situation in a story is a way to build the tension and suspense in your story.

There are other situations where I have used this form of dialogue during conversations between characters where one does not care for the other but they are being polite. I have found in life when we are not speaking truthfully or from the heart, our words and voice patterns can be stilted and unnatural. Similarly to real people, there is a difference in how characters speak to those they consider close friends, just friends and those who are merely associates. We all have a different way of speaking depending on the history and relationship we have with the person or persons we are talking to at that moment. This also applies to our characters because they should be just as multifaceted as people.

So, when it comes to this particular item on their list, the "avoid at all costs" does not apply in my opinion.

Similar Voices: Make sure that each character has a distinct voice. He or she should have a unique pattern of speech and vocabulary.

Absolutely!! We all have our own 'manner of speaking' that has been developed over time and influenced by our personal experiences. A well-developed character is no different. Points that need to be considered when developing a specific characters' voice include but are not limited to the fact that like people, each character is different.