Dishing out Delicious Dialogues

I just read a book three days back, it was a MG book about a small boy who finds a monster underneath his bed. The book was dialogue heavy. Infact, I could say that the entire book was like a conversation between the boy and his monster. Many people have told me that they prefer a book that has pages filled with dialogues.

I will share nuggets about dialogues which I have gathered from several sources, including my own insights from the books I have read  and liked and also from the assignments of my students: why I liked some dialogues more than the others.

                                      

1.  Dialogues should be as natural as possible. For this we have to be good listeners. We should listen to how people talk. Stilted and forced dialogues hampers a great scene.  

2.  Long Dialogues are boring. Just like long descriptions can put readers to sleep so can long dialogues.

3.  Dialogues with too much information can grate on the nerves. It becomes obvious that the author has made the dialogue a dumping ground for information overload. Add the information little by little.

4. Overdoing of dialogue tags detracts from the actual dialogues. Sometimes  “ she said,  he replied, ” are better than fancy dialogues tags which distracts the readers’ attention from the actual dialogues.

5.  Whenever there is a dialogue between two people, dialogue tags can be done away with. The reader is intelligent and is capable of understanding which character is saying what.

6.   Dialogues should always be authentic and real. We should do our research to check for the authenticity of dialogues: will a doctor talk like that, would a policeman say this, will a teacher speak in this way, will a teenager use that word?

7.   Dialogues should always be broken with action. This way our readers will remember that our characters are real people engaging in some action.

8.   Racial stereotypes and slang must be avoided, unless its the character's trait that he/she speaks slang.

9.   Dialogues should and must contribute to the plot.

10.  The purpose of the dialogue is to advance the story, flesh out the character and ofcourse provide the reader a welcome break from long descriptive paragraphs. And the dialogue should do all that.

11.  Dialogues should suit the occasion and the scene. You can’t have people cracking jokes with a dead body lying around, unless they are the murderers.

12.  Dialogues can identify characters. It would be fun to make certain characters speak in a certain way. I like the way Hagrid spoke in the Potter books.

 Dialogues are the fun part of my manuscripts. One of my dialogue sins is overdoing on dialogue tags (I hate to repeat a dialogue tag, I prefer to add variety). I also have a tendency to write long dialogues. What about you all?  How do you all tackle dialogues? Any dialogue guilts that you would like to admit?  

Effective Ways to Add Backstory

As writers we all know the importance of Backstory. If done properly backstory can  enrich the story, but an overload of it can detract from the main plot. Backstory is like adding salt to a dish. Too much of it and the dish gets spoilt: the excess salt suppresses all other flavours, and  too little of salt can do the opposite: no flavour is heightened, the feeling one is left with is that the dish lacked the most vital ingredient. 

Why  do we use backstory? Because the reader needs to know significant/important  things about our character. Why has the character turned bitter, lost his/her will to live, why is he/she over suspicious, why do they have health problems, or don’t trust anyone? 

I love adding backstory. I have realized there are many ways to add backstory. I have adopted few of them in my WIP. Here they are:

Via Dialogues. The backstory can make its introduction in the course of conversations. Readers seldom get bored with conversations.

Through short and succinct past visits which can be achieved through what I call- objects that trigger memory prompts. The character chances upon an object from his or her past and it triggers a stream of memory or backstory  associated with it.

Through the via via route. A character chances upon a person or object that acts as a trigger for  more memories. I would call this  Memory Association, associating one thing with another.

Reminicising and nostalgia is another way of adding backstory. This can be achieved by going over past events in a character’s head.

Flashback. This often over used technique should be used sparingly as it requires active use of the passive voice which can slow down the pace of a story.

Using nature, seasons and weather as stimulus. A rainy day can trigger memories of another rainy day, a tree or the chirping of birds can be a backdrop for more backstory.

Taking the Anniversary route. Most people remember the dates when certain incidents  happened in their lives. These events or incidents’ anniversaries can be triggers for backstory associated with them.

I sometimes struggle with adding backstory. Either I add too much, or too little. I am trying to find a balance that will  keep the reader interest alive and at the same time not weigh the story down.

How do you all add backstory? How much do you think is too much? How much do you think a reader needs to know? What do you do to consciously avoid an excess of backstory? Please share your  views and techniques with us. We  can learn and improve from your method.

Picture Credit and Copyright Melissa Crytzer Fry

Delivering Delectable Dialogues

Whenever I read a book, I look forward to the pages filled with dialogues. Not only do they provide a respite from the descriptions but also help me in  understanding  the scene and  familiarize me with the characters. The way they talk, the way they think.

I will share nuggets about dialogues  which I have gathered from several sources, including my own insights from the books I have read  and liked and also from the assignments of my students: why I liked some dialogues more than  others.

                                      

1.  Dialogues should be as natural as possible. For this we have to be good listeners. We should listen to how people talk. Stilted and  forced  dialogues hamper a great scene.  

2.  Long Dialogues  are boring. Just like long descriptions can put readers to sleep so can long dialogues.

3.  Dialogues with too much information can grate on the nerves. It becomes obvious that the author has made the dialogue a dumping ground for information overload. Add the information little by little. Let  readers get used to  first lot of information before the next lot is piled upon  them.

4. Overdoing of dialogue tags detract from the actual dialogues. Sometimes  “ she said,  he replied, ” are better than fancy dialogues tags which distract the readers’ attention from the actual dialogues.

5.  Whenever there is a dialogue between two people, dialogue tags can be done away with. The reader is intelligent and is capable of understanding which character is saying what.

6.   Dialogue should always be authentic and real. We should  do our research well to check for the authenticity of dialogues. We should check our dialogues against people : will a doctor talk like that, would a police inspector say this, will a teacher speak in this way, will a teenager use that word?

7.   Dialogue should always be broken with action.  This way our readers will remember that our characters are real people engaging in some action.

8.   Slang, abuses  and stereotypes  must be given a shove.

9.   Dialogues should and must contribute to the plot.

10.  The purpose of the dialogue is to advance the story, flesh out the character and ofcourse provide the reader a welcome break from long descriptive paragraphs. And the dialogue should do all that.

11.  Dialogues should suit the occasion and  the scene.

12.  Dialogues  can identify characters. It would be fun to make certain characters speak in   a certain way. That way  dialogues become personalized like  badges for the characters.

I love to write the dialogues. For me it’s the fun part of my manuscripts.  I am guilty of  overdoing on  dialogue tags ( I hate to repeat a dialogue tag, I prefer to add variety) and I am sure my  long dialogues must be driving my editors crazy. What about you all?  How do you all tackle dialogues? Any dialogue guilts that you would like to admit?