AUTHORS GOTTA WRITE - WRITING CONVINCING DIALOGUE

AUTHORS GOTTA WRITE – WRITING CONVINCING DIALOGUE

Dialogue – ahhh, sweet dialogue. Dialogue is one of the most important things in your story; almost as important as your characters and your plot. One of the most memorable things about a movie or a book (or a TV series for that matter) is the dialogue.

In the "Sherlock" TV series by BBC, some of the dialogue simply BLOWS MY MIND. It is incredible dialogue, and the dialogue fits the characters; none of the characters go out of character by saying dialogue untrue to themselves. This is something I look for in movies or books: well-written dialogue.

Unfortunately, it is also one of the most challenging things to write about.

Why, you wonder? We talk all the time, and that's all dialogue is: your characters talking. It shouldn't be hard, right? Well, it is; it's hard to do it right, anyways. Since dialogue is one of the most memorable things about your book, here are some of the helpful tips I have done over the years to help me write dialogue.

Tip 1: Read it out loud.

It doesn't sound like it would be much help, reading it out loud, but believe me, it helps tremendously. Reading out loud is different than reading in your head; something can sound a lot better in your mind than it sounds when it's read out loud. Read your dialogue out loud; if something sounds wrong, chances are, you should re-write it.

If you aren't sure about whether or not the dialogue is adequate, ask someone else to read it out loud and share their opinions as to what they think. If they think you should re-write it, you should probably re-write it; if they think you should keep it, you should probably keep it.

Tip 2: Remember that no two people talk the same way.

No two people have the exact same manner of speaking. They may have the same accents, and they may "Jinx!" each other occasionally, but no two people actually talk exactly the same way, and the same goes with your characters.

It's alright if one character sounds slightly like another character; but if all your characters start talking exactly the same way, then you may have a problem on your hands.

Not everyone says "isn't." Sometimes, some people say "is not." The same goes with wasn't, can't, and just about all the other contractions you can think of.

Tip 3: Record your conversations with your friends.

This sounds really creepy, probably, to be recording just basic every-day conversations, but if you struggle with writing dialogue, you should do this. Ask your friends if they're okay with it, and if they say yes, record away! This could also give you ideas of how to give different characters different dialogue; your friends probably don't talk the same way, either.

Tip 4: Don't overdo the accents.

"It 'twasn't a pleasan' sigh', ya know. I reck'n it 'twas the w'urst thin' to 'ave ev'r been occurin'. Everythin' 'twas out-'o-da ordinary, every'tin, it 'twas impos'ble ta get 'round town wit'out bumpin' in'ta som'n bizzare..."

Did you actually get that? Maybe you did, or maybe it took a few minutes to register what the speaker was saying. If you can't read it without really, really concentrating on what it says, you've overdone the accent.

Here is the same sentance as above, only I've toned down the accent:

"It wasn' a pleasant sight, ya know. I reckon it 'twas the wors' thing to 'ave ever occured. Everythin' was out-'o-the ordinary, everythin', it was impossible ta get 'round town without bumpin' into somethin' bizzare..."

Was that better? :)

If you're writing a character with an accent, be careful of how the accent is portrayed; you never want to overdo the accent.

Tip 5: Think, "Would anyone actually say something like this?"

This is obvious: If no one would ever say what your character just said, then your character probably wouldn't say it, either!

Tip 6: What about when your character is angry?

This is a tricky one, but at the same time, important. How would your character react if they were treated badly? What would they say? Would they say anything at all?

Let's say you have a really sensitive and kind and compassionate character, but at the same time, the character is very outspoken. If the character was being treated badly and becomes angry, he/she might not yell; they might cry. They might ask, "Why are you so...so...cruel?" without becoming openly angry.

On the other hand, maybe your character is one of those characters who doesn't like to cry in front of other people. Maybe this character is a little too outspoken; maybe this character rebuffs anger with anger. In this case, they wouldn't ask the question, "Why are you so cruel?" They would openly shout, "YOU'RE SO CRUEL!!"

If your character isn't outspoken, they wouldn't say anything at all; they would, most likely, leave the conversation, be it quietly, or sobbing. Anger is often more challenging to write than other dialogue, which is also why it is so important.

Tip 7: Remember that arguments don't usually start heated: they start slowly, and become more intense the longer they go on.

Here is an example of what not to do:

Character 1: "Do you like the new curtains I put up?"

Character 2: "No, I think they're hideous."

Character 1: "HOW DARE YOU!?"

Character 2: "HOW DARE YOU!?"

Obviously, this is not a conversation that would happen in the real world; or, at least, it would not turn into an argument so quickly. Arguments take time to develop; lots of different points can be made in arguments, which often makes them challenging to write.

Here's a tip on how to write argumentive dialogue: Write your argument scene between your two (or more) characters, and then have someone read the argument with you, you as "Character 1", and your friend as "Character 2". Ask your friend their opinion; if they aren't convinced, your readers won't be, either.

In conclusion . . .

DIALOGUE IS CRUCIAL. There is no way to avoid dialogue; you can try, but it won't make for a very good story. Dialogue is incredibly important, and it's even more important than we may realize. If you struggle with writing dialogue, try and follow the tips given above. Your dialogue will be remembered by your readers: but how it will be remembered, good or bad, is up to you.

-Beyond

AUTHORS GOTTA WRITE - DESCRIBING YOUR CHARACTER

AUTHORS GOTTA WRITE – DESCRIBING YOUR CHARACTER

I'm always saying that your characters are the life and blood of your story – and as the life and blood of your story, you want to be able to give your readers a good description of your character – a description that will enable your readers to create a perfect picture in their head of your character.

In this post, I'm going to give you guys some helpful (hopefully) tips on how to describe your characters! This post was requested by Lydia C. So, thank you, Lydia C.! I hope this post helps you out! :)

Something you should always remember when describing your characters is this: You already have an idea of what your characters will look like. You already know your character's background, their hair color, their eye color, whether they're skinny or plump, and so on. But your readers have never seen this character before. As far as your readers are concerned, your character is a total stranger. Remember this as you launch into your story.

"Harry Potter was snoring loudly. He had been sitting in a chair beside his bedroom window for the best part of four hours, staring out at the darkening street, and had finally fallen asleep with one side of his face pressed against the cold windowpane, his glasses askew and his mouth wide open. The misty fug his breath had left on the window sparkled in the orange glare of the streetlamp outside, and the artificial light drained his face of all color, so that he looked ghostly beneath his shock of untidy black hair." (J.K. ROWLING, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince")

Your goal as an author is to give your readers an image of your character as soon as possible – within the chapter in which the character is introduced. You don't have to throw all the information at your readers at once: you don't have to say, The girl had short, wavy black hair and blue eyes and a very curvy build all at once. You can say, She had black hair in one paragraph, and she had blue eyes in an entirely different one. Doing this helps build your character without throwing all the information at your readers at the same time.

There's nothing wrong with "throwing all the information at your readers at once", of course; but as far as the flow of your story goes, giving little details spaced out between paragraphs helps move the story along faster.

One of the most common ways I've seen authors describe their character is through reflection: the character wakes up in the morning and looks in the mirror, brushes their short blonde hair, blue eyes blink back at them, etc., etc., and while this is an effective way of describing your character, it is cliche, which is something authors always want to do their best to avoid.

But you can practice describing your character with them standing in front of a mirror. Practicing describing a character helps you yourself as an author, and when you describe your character for real, you'll already be used to the concept of description.

If you use mirrors to describe your character in your book, don't worry about a thing! Use the mirror if you want; whatever works best for you. In the end, as long as your readers have a mental image of what your character looks like, the method in which you used to describe the characters won't really matter.

"The man had the average build of a thirty year old, brown hair, and blue eyes."

Okay, what? Can you guys imagine the character I just (horribly) described? I didn't think so. An average build? How can you get that image in your head? What does the "average build of a thirty year old" look like?

I just gave you an example of what NOT to do when describing your characters. When you describe your character, you want to give your readers a mental image of what the character looks like...and the use of "brown hair" in the example above is very vague. Is it dark brown or light brown? Straight or wavy?

Let's try describing the "man with the average build" again, and this time, I'm going to be a bit more descriptive:

"The man was burly, with tanned skin and toned muscles. His dark almost black brown hair was kept back in a ponytail, and his sapphire blue eyes were challenging, as if looking for trouble."

Does that create a better image?

NOTE 1: It's the little things that count. Sometimes, the smallest details can help your readers imagine these characters all the better. Does the character have freckles? A long nose? Big ears? A pointed chin? A round face? These things can also help you describe your character, if your character has any of those. Maybe your character has a scar; maybe their skin is tanned; maybe their skin is abnormally pale. These little things can do numbers in describing your characters, and they'll help your readers imagine them clearly.

NOTE 2: She had hair the color of... Sometimes, a good thing to do is compare the color of the character's hair/eyes/skin to another object in nature or otherwise. For example: He had short uneven hair the color of wheat and eyes like melted chocolate. This helps your readers imagine characters, because they can get a clear image in their head: "Oh, I know what chocolate looks like!" or "Oh, so their hair is a brownish blond, like wheat." The same goes for the character's skin: Pale as a sheet, brown like burnt toast, tanned like caramel, etc., etc.

NOTE 3: His eyes were like... Eyes are very, very expressive, and mentioning something about your character's eyes – even something small – can give your readers a clearer picture of what your character is like.

You can say, His eyes were like that of a cat waiting to pounce, or Judging by her eyes, she was psychotic. A cat is very focused when they're ready to pounce, eyes wide and catching any small details; a psychotic person has wild, crazy, unpredictable eyes.

NEVER OVERDO THE EYES. Her eyes were mysterious... Honestly, what do "mysterious" eyes look like? Remember: If you can't imagine it, your readers won't be able to imagine it, either.

NOTE 4: Descriptive words. Sometimes, it's hard to find the right word to use to describe your character. Here are some of the most helpful descriptive words I've found to describe your character's body.

Skinny

Curvy

Lanky

Thin

Lean

Burly

Bulky

Intimidating

Short

Tall

Towering

Plump

Round

Athletic

These are some of the best descriptive words you can use when describing your character. There are others, of course, but I've picked out these because these give me myself a good mental image.

If you guys think of anymore descriptive words to describe your character's body build, let me know. :D

IN CONCLUSION: Your characters really are the "life and blood of your story". They are the ones your readers will be following as the adventure that is your story plays out. The characters, to your readers, are the guidelines of a brilliant plot, and your readers are going to want to know as much about the character as they can.

In closing, I'm going to write a description of a character, and in the comments, let me know if I gave you a good mental image of the character. I need the practice, too. XD

"Amelia Jane was considered the vainest girl in the high school. Every morning, she woke up hours earlier than the average person and spent those extra hours in front of her bathroom mirror, straightening her long, wavy black hair and using lots of eyeliner beneath her eyes. Even without the eyeliner, Amelia's eyes were beautiful; the color of the ocean, students at the school were always telling her, and to show off these eyes, she wore a blue t-shirt and a black skirt, which were simple but stunning.

"Amelia spent bonus hours trying to rid her face of the many cocoa-colored freckles that dotted her cheeks, but the freckles were stubborn and refused to be hidden, no matter how much extra blush Amelia used in attempts to blot them out. Her nose was short and curved; she wore her hair down, cascading over her shoulders. The high heels she wore boosted her height, though it didn't need boosting: she was already taller than most of the girls in the school.

"Little did Amelia Jane know, though, that she was beautiful without the makeup, without the stunning outfit, without straightening her hair, without using excessive amounts of eyeliner beneath her eyes and blush on her cheeks. She was beautiful without it all.

"And someday soon, she would come to realize that." #authorsgottawrite

Let me know what you guys think, and I'll see you next post! :D

-Beyond

(Big thanks to Lydia C. for requesting this post! I hope it will help you in describing your characters! :D And if anyone ever has any suggestions, let me know, and I'll do my best to help you guys out! :D You guys are amazing! :D)