5 Mistakes with Dialogue: Emerging Writers

Novel writing can go through many stages. Some novels are dependent on descriptions of sword fights or encounters with winged creatures. 

This discipline includes a specialized use of action verbs and a pantheon of fighting terms. The action often follows the fears of one participant and does NOT include much dialogue.

Working out interpersonal relations requires more subtle writing tools, often developed long after the writer gets to know her characters through action and a clearly developed plot. There is a later stage in developing the WIP where managing pacing, subtext, revelations, and exposed secrets becomes the daily writing challenge.

My encouragement is to address this later stage with a strong eye on inserting dialogue where scenes are currently summarized in the flow of the plot. Here are five areas that emerging writers often neglect in the final (or next to final) draft.

Secondary characters can add to the story by articulating the goals of the protagonists especially if she’s resistant to what she must get done. The side character can yell at the heroine that she’s failing, or tell her that her hidden goals are not so hidden, or even talk about how the heroine’s goals work against the needed action. The secondary character must have definition and an established voice when she steps forward with these answers, so don’t whizz past her in earlier scenes.

2.         Too much explaining of what we already know

Characters know each other and what happened before. They don’t explain to each other. Exposition must be added in bits and pieces, not in long history lessons.

The isolated girl is a popular trend, but girls mostly run in groups and confide to each other more than to the male characters.  Give your protagonist a sister or BFF or cousin or auntie or mentor.  Girls look to girls for reinforcement.

Guy characters always have a mentor who trains the protagonist. Girl characters only have these when they become lovers in a later sequence. That’s a loss.

Look for these summarized scenes throughout the WIP and commit to showing the obstacle through dialogue rather than through the protagonist’s inner thoughts.  The scene will become immediate, active, showing the needs of several characters simultaneously, and rich with subtext.

Subtext is often added only in revision where the writer knows the hearts of her characters. Don’t be afraid to lengthen the story with these delicious scenes that can include silent communications, exposed secrets, layers of realism, and immediacy.  Allow the reader to participate in a quiet moment where characters realize the journey they engaged together and impending failure.

5.         The writer has more voices than her own (as narrator)

Give characters specific traits for articulation. One hesitates and backs into sentences with false starts from fear of rejection. 

One character is judging and only speaks in the imperative, making demands like she’s a general.  One doesn’t speak in group at all but comes around later to whisper her concerns. One is fatally loyal, while one is fatally resistant and a tattle-tale. Be consistent with each character. Assigning these character attitudes toward the world is as important as assigning height and eye color.

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