Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Conversations are an essential part of the story, and the writer should strive to make them most natural whether in stories, books, plays or movies. Conversation is the way writers convey information to the audience in an interesting and emotional way. Write conversations when you have thoroughly studied the characters, write simply and truthfully, then read aloud to make sure they look like in real life.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Researching dialogue

1. 

   Pay attention to real conversation. Listen to how people are talking and use their conversation as a template for more authentic writing. You will find that everyone's way of talking is different, so use that detail when writing conversations.
   • Ignore unnecessary parts of the conversation. For example, you don't need to specify "hello" and "goodbye". Some dialogue may skip the greeting and get into the main topic too.
   • Bring a notebook to jot down the little conversations you actually hear.

2. 

   
   
   Read good conversation. To feel the balance between the actual speed and speed in the book of conversation, you need to read good dialogue in books and on film. Read books and scripts to learn more.
   • Some authors you might refer to are Douglas Adams, Toni Morrison and Judy Blume (here are just a few examples; there are many more!). Their conversations tend to be realistic, layered, and lively.
   • Television and radio programming references and practice will help with speech development. Douglas Adams, one of the authors mentioned above, started his career as a radio script writer, one of the factors that helped him compose such wonderful lines.

3. 

   
   
   Comprehensive character development. You need to fully understand your character before writing the lines. Understand the character of the character, they are taciturn, taciturn or eager to show off, etc.
   • You don't have to write details of each character in the work, but you have to understand them yourself.
   • Details such as age, gender, education level, hometown, and voice also make a difference in the lines of each character. For example, an American girl from a difficult family will talk differently to a rich, old, and English man.
   • Each character has its own way of speaking. Each character has a different way of using words, tone of voice or speed. You need to make sure the differences between the characters.

4. 

   
   
   Avoid using fancy lines. The glossy lines, while not completely ruining the dialogue, can distract the reader, and as an author, you should not.An unnatural dialogue in a special case also doesn't matter much, but it will ruin the story if used a lot.
   • Fine conversation only works if you want to clarify something, but not in the language category. Example: "Hi Mai, you look sad," said Binh. "Yes, Binh, I'm sad. Do you want to know why?" "Yes, Mai, I want to know what makes you sad." "I'm sad because my dog ​​is sick, it makes me think of my father's mysterious death two years ago."
   • You should edit the above dialogue like this: "Mai, what's wrong?" Binh asked. Mai shrugged her shoulders, still staring at something out the window. "My dog ​​got sick. They couldn't find her sick." "Too bad, but listen, Mai ... the dog is old too. Maybe it's time." Mai's hand clung to the window sill. "It's just, it's just, do you think the doctor knows". "Do you mean vet?" Binh frowned. "OK whatever".
   • The reason the following conversation is better is that you do not need to write Mai's exact thoughts about her deceased father, instead prefer to explain through the words she uses "doctor" instead of ". Veterinarian ". The circuit will be more fluent.
   • An example of where to use fine lines is in Lord of the Rings. The lines aren't always rigid, but when the hobbits speak, they use very eloquent (impractical) language. The only reason it is appropriate (a lot of people disagree really appropriate!) is because the story is written in the same old epic style Beowulf or The Mabinogion.
   advertisement

Part 2 of 3: Writing conversations

1. 

   
   
   Writing is simple. Use "he say" or "she answer" instead of complicated words like "he disagrees" or "she cries". You do not want to distract the reader from the dialogue between characters with strange words. "Say" is one of the words that is invisible and should not distract the reader.
   • Sometimes you may not be able to use "say", "answer" or "respond" when appropriate. For example, you can use "interrupt" or "yell" or "whisper", but only in specific and relevant parts of the story.

2. 

   
   
   Develop stories by conversation. Conversations provide information about the story or character to readers. Conversations are a great way to demonstrate character development or give out information that the reader hasn't grasped yet.
   • Do not write lines about the weather or ask about the situation of other characters, although this happens a lot in real life. These days, just a little chat can put pressure. For example, when one character needs to collect information from another character, but the second character always talks "in heaven", both the reader and the other character are impatient.
   • The lines need a purpose. When writing lines, ask yourself "why write this in the story?" "What am I going to show readers about the story or the character?" If there is no answer, remove the line.

3. 

   
   
   Don't put too much misinformation in the conversation. This is what people often get. Think there is no more appropriate way to convey information than for characters to discuss with each other? Stop here! Basic information that needs to be added is scattered throughout the story.
   • Examples of things not to do: Mai turned to ask Binh, "Binh, do you remember when your father mysteriously passed away and your family was kicked out of the house by your evil aunt?" "I remember, Mai. You were 12 years old and you had to quit school to support your family."
   • The better writing of the above conversation: Mai tightens her lips, turns to look at Binh "Today I heard about that aunt". Binh was shocked. "But that's the person who kicked your family out. What does she want?" "Who knows, she suggests something about her father's death." "What?" Binh raised an eyebrow. "Maybe she thought your father's death was not that simple."

4. 

   Add a hint. Conversations, especially in stories, often have many layers of meaning. They usually contain more than one layer of meaning, so you need to capture the meaning in each situation.
   • There are many ways to speak. So if the character wants to say "I need you", try letting them describe it instead speak directly. Example: Binh starts the car. Mai put her hand on his arm, she bit her lip. "This bottle, I ... do you really have to go now?" She pulled her hand back. "We still don't know what to do."
   • Don't force the character to say all of their thoughts or feelings. That has revealed too many details, losing the suspense and nuance of the story.

5. 

   Mix. If you want the dialogue to be interesting and entice the reader into the story, sometimes insert some basic dialogue, such as talk about the weather of people at the bus stop, and start exploring. important conversations like between Mai and her aunt.
   • Let the character make arguments or say unexpected things, as long as it suits their personality. Conversation should have emphasis. If everyone just agrees or asks and answers basic questions, the conversation will become boring.
   • Alternate conversation and action. When they talk, people still work, smile, wash dishes, walk, etc. Add some details to bring dialogue to life.
   • For example: "I don't think a healthy person like your father would get sick and die," said the aunt. Mai calmly replied "Everyone gets sick sometimes". "Sometimes they get a little help from their friends." Her aunt looked smug, Mai just wanted to strangle her through the phone. "If someone wants to harm your father, do you know who it is?" "Oh, I know a little, but it's up to you."
   advertisement

Part 3 of 3: Reading review conversations

1. 

   Read the conversation aloud. This will help you feel the dialogue. You can make changes based on what you hear or read. Take a moment to read the lines, otherwise your mind will still only contain what you intend to write instead of what is actually on the page.
   • Ask a trusted friend or family member to read the voice. A keen eye can find unnatural passages that need to be fixed.

2. 

   Correct punctuation. There is nothing more frustrating for readers (especially with publishers and agencies) than inaccurate punctuation, especially in dialogue.
   • Double quotes are placed at the end of the sentence and then followed by a comma. Example: "Hello, I'm Mai," Mai said.
   • If you add action in the middle of a conversation, you can write compound sentences or split it into sentences. Example: "I don't believe he was the one who killed my father," Mai said, her eyes teary. "Not like him at all." or write something like, "I don't believe he was the one who killed my father," said Mai, with tears in her eyes, "because that's not like you at all."
   • If there is no dialogue but only action, you can put a comma after the quotes. For example: "Goodbye Aunt", Mai hung up the phone.

3. 

   Cut off unnecessary words or phrases. Sometimes short conversations are more common. People usually talk not too long. They are short and simple, and you should apply this to your conversation.
   • For example, instead of writing "I can't believe for many years it was you who put poison into Dad's evening cocktail and harmed him," Mai said; you might write something like "I don't believe you were the one who poisoned my dad!"

4. 

   Be careful when using dialect. Each character needs its own sound and voice, but too much dragging or tapping will tire readers. At the same time, using a dialect that you are not fluent in can make a conversation cliché and extremely annoying for those who master the dialect.
   • Create your own character's hometown in a different way. For example, use local words like "pineapple" instead of "pineapple" to make geographic differences. Be sure to use standard slang or dialect for the area where the character lives according to your composition.
   advertisement

Advice

• Consult resources to help you write better conversations. Take a writing class, refer to a book or website dedicated to writing, to improve your conversation storytelling.
• Look for groups or classes for people interested in writing, including writing TV scripts. Working with people and getting lots of feedback will help you progress quickly!

Warning

• Don't over-focus on conversation when writing your first draft. It cannot be perfect, this is completely normal because you will read and correct it in the next draft.