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Mastering Dialogue

Dialogue is more than the art of fictional conversation. Dialogue can provide tension, create conflict, and change the speed of a scene. It should never be on the nose or used as filler.

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Dialogue can be comic or cutting, deliberately obscure or pointedly cruel. The type of wordplay you use depends on the genre. Comedy would be different from a Thriller or Mystery. Do the characters use irony, sarcasm, humor, or wield words as weapons?

Dialogue defines a character. By assigning each main character verbal ticks, rhythms, patterns, slang, etc. you bring them to life and make them unique. 

Dialogue is affected by setting and where the characters are from. Do they speak the local language or a foreign or alien language?

Dialogue highlights socioeconomic differences in your characters. How educated are they? How "proper" is their speech? Do they use street slang? Do they use words common in specific places?

Dialogue expresses emotion. Are the characters forceful or meek? Joyful or depressed? The way a line is delivered is just as important as the content.

Dialogue reflects hierarchy and position: Are the characters aggressive or submissive, a master or servant, a diplomat or a iconoclast? Do they have to be careful about what they say to save themselves? Do they have to avoid revealing information? Are they reluctant to speak up by nature or demanding? Word choice and delivery are crucial. 

Body language can support or counter the words spoken. If they are restrained in what they say, they may wish to be violent. That dichotomy creates tension.

There is no formula to dictate how much dialogue you need. Each scene has its own requirements.

Dialogue is another tool in your writer's tool kit along with description, action, and narrative. Here are articles  help you improve dialogue skills:

1. Dialogue Tags and Action Tags

2. Why You Should Eavesdrop

3. Communication Obstacles

4. Communication Roadblocks Part 1

5. Communication Roadblocks Part 2

6. Conflicts in Communication

7. The Persuasion Plot Hole

8. Persuasion Tactics Part 1

9. Persuasion Tactics Part 2

10. Persuasion Tactics Part 3

11. Convincing Arguments

12. Lying

13. Eye Contact

14. Facial Expressions

15. Gestures

16. Body Language

17. Revising Body Language

18. How Close is Too Close

19. Five Ways to Use Context

20. Delivery, Cadence, and Dialect

21. Dialogue Enunciation and Inflection

22. Dialogue Pattern and Pitch

Boring on-the-nose dialogue is one of the quickest ways to turn off a reader. How often have you tuned into a movie only to find the dialogue so cringe-worthy you couldn't watch it? The same goes for your novel.

A simple line of dialogue can stay with your reader long after the book is finished. A recent example is a book called Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo about a fantasy con and heist crew. They have the best banter. One line I won't forget is "No mourners, no funerals" as they begin a fight. 

Use dialogue to make your characters come alive and stand out. Your readers will thank you. 

Here are great videos on writing dialogue for film but the tactics apply to fiction as well.

https://youtu.be/qfQpJxRP8ew

https://youtu.be/CIqrWXeiFUs

https://youtu.be/Ge0b5EPdL8I

https://youtu.be/jpWKp-fnZuU

https://youtu.be/ilKxyfOmFGY



Writing Conferences July to September, 2021

Whether a one day session, one week conference, or a month-long writing workshop, writing related events are a good way to commune with other writers. They are opportunities to network and get your name out there. In some instances, you can meet and mingle with editors and agents. Some offer critiques or pitching sessions. Nowhere will you find a higher concentration of introverts enjoying each other's company. Local conferences are a good place to meet potential critique groups or recruit members.

Some are free. Some require a fee. Some are more social than others. Many are for new writers, but a few dig deep into craft. You should choose an event that speaks to your needs and desires.

Unfortunately with the pandemic, many in person events have been cancelled. Some have been replaced with virtual events, podcasts, or online classes and lectures.

Virtual events allow for a wider audience and lower costs since attendance does not require travel and lodging

July 11 - 17, 2021 Squaw Valley Writer's Conference, Squaw Valley, California. Virtual Conference. Room for only 60 participants. https://communityofwriters.org/workshops/writers-workshops

July 11 - 17, 2021 Kenyon Review Fiction WorkshopKenyon College, Gambier, Ohio is excited to offer a new suite of online programs for summer 2021. https://kenyonreview.org/writers/fiction/

July 14 - 18, 2021 Southampton Writers Conference, Southampton, New York is virtual. https://www.stonybrook.edu/writers/

July 17 - 20, 2021 Sun Valley Writers Conference in Ketchum, Idaho. Check site for updates and status. https://svwc.com/

July 18 – 25, 2021 Port Townsend Writers Conference in Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, WA https://centrum.org/the-port-townsend-writers-conference/

July 23 - 30, 2021 Writeaway in New Mexico Rancho los Milagros and Viento del Rio Abiquiú, New Mexico. https://www.writeaways.com/writeaway-in-new-mexico

July 27 - July 31, 2020 Green Mountain Writers Conference Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, Vermont. http://www.vermontwriters.com/

August 1 - 6, 2021 Napa Valley Writers Conference in Napa California. Applications open February 2021. http://www.napawritersconference.org/

August 5 - 7, 2021 Mendocino Coast Publishing Boot Camp will be held virtually through Zoom. General registration will open March 1. We are accepting scholarship applications from now until February 15. http://mcwc.org

August 5 - 8, 2021 Cape Cod Writers Center Conference in Hyannis, Massachusetts https://capecodwriterscenter.org/

August 5 - 8, 2021 GenCon Gaming Convention is at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana. Tentative goal is to hold Gen Con 2021 as planned as a live event. Considering pandemic uncertainty, they are postponing badge registration and event submission until they have a better idea of what the year will hold. Check the site for updates. https://www.gencon.com/ 

August 11 - 21, 2021 Postgraduate Writers Conference, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, Vermont.  Applications are accepted between October 15, 2020 and February 15, 2021. Notification letters will be sent by email in late May. https://vcfa.edu/postgraduate-writers-conference/

August 19 - 22, 2021 Killer Nashville Franklin, Tennessee. Current plans for 2021 are in-person event. Registration begins January 2021. Check site for updates.  https://killernashville.com/ 

August 25 - 29, 2021 Boucheron Blood on The Bayou event, New Orleans, Louisiana Marriot Hotel. https://www.bouchercon2021.com/

September 9-12, 2021 Kentucky Women Writers Conference in Lexington, Kentucky. https://womenwriters.as.uky.edu/

September 17 - 19, 2021 Writers' League of Texas Agents & Editors ConferenceAustin, Texas  http://www.writersleague.org/38/Conference

Sept 23 - 25, 2021 Maranatha Christian Writers' Conference in Norton Shores, MI. Check site for updates.  https://www.maranathachristianwriters.com/

September 24-26, 2021 WhimsyCon Steampunk and Costuming Convention in Denver, Colorado at the Delta by Marriott Northglenn. https://www.whimsycon.org/

  

Dialogue Pattern and Pitch

Some characters talk really fast. Some characters drawl lazily. We tend to speak faster when we are anxious or excited, hyperthyroid, in a hurry, short-tempered or don't wish to have a particular conversation. 

We speak slower when we are relaxed, hypothyroid, trying to calm someone down, reason with them, or question their intelligence. If someone is angry, responding with anger fuels the flames. Speaking calmly and rationally should tamp it down. Unless the fact that Dick is calm really pisses Jane off.

Characters conversing in their native language speak quickly. They have to slow down for children or someone who does not understand their language or for someone with hearing deficits.

Speech patterns differ substantially between the educated and non-educated, geographic locations, and languages spoken. Listeners can often identify a speaker’s origin from their speech, but not always. An African or Asian brought up in the American south will not speak like an African or Asian brought up in London. 

Studies have proven that children are more wary of people who don't sound like them than they are of people who don't look like them. A computer generated voice cannot exactly mimic a human voice, so the mechanical voice makes us a little anxious.

Patterns are expressed through syntax: the way the character structures their sentences. It is choosing to offer a statement as question or a declaration and the subsequent vocabulary choice. 

Changing the modifier after a statement from "Absolutely" to "I think" or "Do you think?" changes the meaning of the sentence from I'm certain to I'm uncertain.

"I want to go to France for vacation, don't you?"

"I want to go to France for vacation, I know you do too."

"Do you think we should go to France for vacation?"

"It is magnificent, don't you think?"

"It is truly magnificent!"

"It is truly magnifique, n'est ce pas?"

Patterns are expressed through morphology: the meaning of words used and subject-verb agreement.

It is referred meaning such as opposites, synonyms, and the connection of one word to another such as disk to disk player. 

It is patterns of words within and across languages and the rules that govern them. Patterns are expressed through phonology which is the way a language sounds. The beats in American English are different from the beats used when speaking English in England or Ireland.

America: "Jerk! Why didn't you wait for me?"

England: "You should have waited, you silly bugger."

Ireland: "And you couldn't wait for me, could you lad?"

Patterns are expressed through acoustics or phonetics. Phonetics is the physical production of sound, like the placement of the tongue to roll R's, the nasal quality, the emphasis on consonants, the way a word is broken up into syllables i-di-ot versus i-diot. It is the hiss of an S or whether a C sounds like an S (certain) or a K (cash).

Acoustics is the way the sound resonates in the listener's ear and hard sounds versus soft sounds.

Patterns can reveal state of mind or pathology. Characters that are confident use short, declarative sentences and offer precise answers. Characters that are confused or lying use long, rambling sentences and never really answer the question. 

Characters with antisocial psychiatric disorders or disorders such as hysteria have problems following a conversation or sticking to the point. They meander, lie, and change the topic.

Pitch can indicate state of mind, gender, or age. Women and children tend to have high-pitched voices. Men tend to have deeper voices. I once knew a little girl with a very deep voice. People laughed and couldn't believe it when she spoke. 

Men with higher pitched voices are sometimes considered effeminate. Conversely, a woman with a deep or contralto voice can be considered sexy. A deeper pitch can indicate aggressiveness when used by male or female. 

We use a higher pitch when talking to babies, children or dimwits. A deeper pitch can be Jane's attempt at sexiness. A higher pitch can mean Dick is mocking Sally.

Purple prose is sometimes used to convey pitch, but should be avoided.

Next week, I provide a master list of blog posts to help you master dialogue.

Dialogue: Enunciation and Inflection

Word choice can say a lot about how your character feels about the topic, the person he is speaking to, and his mood. It speaks to his background and education level. It reveals whether he is confident or uncertain, being diplomatic or insulting. A character may choose their words carefully because they are afraid to offend. A character may blurt out whatever enters their head without filtering it.

In addition to content, you should pay attention to the delivery of your character's conversations. You can use enunciation and inflection to support or refute word choice. 

Enunciation:  Most characters attempt to enunciate somewhat clearly most of the time so they are understood. Some characters mumble, particularly teen boys and small children.

Mentally ill people can mumble. Dementia patients might mumble.

Characters mumble to obscure their words when they don't want to say something or are ashamed of saying something. 

It is important to enunciate clearly when speaking to someone who has poor hearing or is unfamiliar with your language.

Enunciation degrades when your characters are upset or angry. Characters run words together, skip over words, or leave words off. 

Characters over-enunciate when they are impatient, angry, or feel like they are talking to an idiot. 

Enunciation can display caring and empathy or anger and resentment.

Inflection: Inflection, or prosody, is the pitch of the voice, the process of adding emphasis to words or word parts. 

An upward inflection at the end of a sentence implies hope or a question. A downward inflection at the end of a sentence implies doubt or a command. 

A character's voice can be monotone and flat if they are bored. It will be slow and low if they are depressed or sad. High pitched and enthusiastic means they are happy or excited.

If they speed up and get louder, they are angry.

High pitch and slow speed indicated they don't believe you. Whoever your character is talking to will pick up on their inflection right away, especially if it is counter to the content.

If Dick is genuinely smiling when he says something on the telephone, the other person will pick up on the inflection. When you smile, the soft palate at the back of your mouth raises and makes sound waves more fluid. 

Dick might be forcing himself to smile, either to sell someone something or to not anger a dangerous person. If he is relaxed and smiling the other person will feel that he is warm, friendly and receptive. 

Most characters are bad at faking it. They can struggle to maintain a pleasant tone when they are royally pissed, but the edge will come through.

How Dick stresses specific words changes what he is saying. If he is defensive, he will emphasize "would you" as in "What would you like me to do about it?" It is antagonistic. If he genuinely cares, he would emphasize "like us" in "What would you like us to do about it?" If he is bored or does not care, he would not emphasize any of the words.

The way a character breathes affects their inflection. If they are stressed, they breathe shallowly. The more upset they grow, the faster they breathe until they hyperventilate. Their vocal cords contract and make the pitch higher. There is a reason why we tell hysterical people to take a deep breath. Breathing deeply relaxes the vocal cords and allows Dick to say what he needs to say in a reasonable tone of voice.

If Jane is confronting a toddler in the middle of a tantrum who is ranting and raving incoherently, Jane should ask the toddler to stop and breathe so he can clearly state his need or desire. She might yell and give in to her temper which escalates the problem. If she says, "Can you calm down so I can understand you, please?" it will defuse the problem. The upset person or toddler wants to be heard above all.

Next week, we will look at pattern and pitch.

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