10 SUREFIRE WAYS TO WRITE MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE

Photo by Carol Rosegg. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Having Trouble Writing Dialogue? This Should Help!

Dialogue means words that characters say aloud to one another. Gestures, and not communicating to a question, can also be dialogue. Great conversation between characters can make or break your story. Here is a list of ten dialogue actions that will determine if your dialogue is any good. If your character's dialogue do not match up to at least seven of these actions then your conversations need editing.

The dialogue you write should:
·                 move the story forward.
·                 move the story with ease of rhythm.
·                 pull together the series of interrelated events that make up the story.
·                 shows and not tell.
·                 characterize your characters, meaning, your dialogue should be appropriate to the age, sex, educational background, sociological upbringing, occupation, and temperament of your characters.
·                 convey needed information.
·                 show the emotional state of the speaker.
·                 build suspense.
·                 foreshadow difficulty, disaster, happiness, or success.
·                 sum up the story to prove your theme.
Keep your dialogue fresh. Avoid repeating information. Remember, written dialogue sounds different than real conversation between two or more people. Keep your ah's and um's to a bare minimum, if you must include them at all.

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