Dialogue

Dialogue …is a semblance of speech, an invented language of exchanges that build in tempo or content toward climaxes. ~~ Sol Stein in Stein on Writing


One of the elements that many fiction writers struggle with is the art of writing good dialogue in their stories. Recently, I returned to a classic, and favorite of mine, Stein on Writing by Sol Stein, to brush up on my fiction techniques.

In Chapter 11 of his book, published in 1999 by St. Martin's Press (ISBN 0-312-25421-0), Stein talks about the secrets of good dialogue. Here are some golden nuggets from this chapter:

• Dialogue...is a semblance of speech, an invented language of exchanges that build in tempo or content toward climaxes.
• Learning the new language of dialogue is as complex as learning any new language.
• Dialogue is always in immediate scene, which is one reason readers relish it.
• Confrontational dialogue... is immediate, creating a visual image of the speakers as it shoots adrenaline into our bloodstream.
• Dialogue... is indirect. The key word to understanding the nature of dialogue is that the best dialogue is oblique.
• Characters don't need to make speeches at each other.
• We're not only characterizing, we're building a story... . A reader's emotions can be sparked with few words. That's the power of dialogue.
• Dialogue is a lean language in which every word counts. Count for what? To characterize, to move the story along to have an impact on the reader's emotions.
• What the reader gets from your fiction is the meaning of words. And most important, the emotion that meaning generates.
• ... what counts is not what is said but the effect of what is meant.
• ... the best way to judge dialogue read aloud is to read it in a monotone without expression. The words have to do the job.

Stein has many more wonderful suggestions and tips for improving the dialogue in your fiction. I strongly suggest you read Stein on Writing and, when you're finished with it, read another Stein classic, How to Grow a Novel.
Happy Writing!
Coach Sue