October 19, 2020
Do you embrace dialog or narrate your way around it? Why?
“Evening, Ms. Duprie,” he said, as he took the brim of his hat between his thumb and index finger for the briefest of moments. “Welcome back.” from The Marquesa’s Necklace
And welcome (or welcome back) to all of you!
I couldn’t resist. Despite recently coming across a “rule” that you should never start a book with dialogue (does that count for blog posts, too?) I had to do it. Open with dialogue, that is.
Because yes, I’ve fully embraced dialogue in my stories. Because no matter how well-written, it’s hard to read page after page of prose with long paragraphs and few breaks. For me, anyway. I used to be able to do it, but my mind doesn’t work that way anymore. And if I can’t read it, I certainly don’t want to write it.
That doesn’t mean I ignore narrative prose. I also don’t want to read page after page of dialogue, like reading a script for a play. The trick is in finding a balance between the two. And using that balance to move the story along.
The first thing I noticed when walking into my apartment was the afghan I kept on the back of the recliner. It was on the floor and hadn’t been like that when I left. “So who’s been sitting in my chair?” I asked. “Eli?” I called hopefully to no response.
Then I noticed the dirty dishes in my kitchen sink. “So who’s been eating my porridge?” I whispered to myself. Surely a thief wouldn’t have stopped to make himself a sandwich.
I tip-toed down the hallway, holding my breath. The bathroom was empty, but my bedroom door was partially closed. I carefully pushed it open and peeked inside. A familiar head nestled on my pillow. “So that’s who’s been sleeping in my bed.” from Her Ladyship’s Ring
That was a fun scene to write. Even though the dialogue was one-sided, it moved the plot forward.
It can be tough to write dialogue for more than two people in the scene. The standard “he said” or “she said” dialogue tags don’t work when there’s more than one he or she. That’s when the use of actions and descriptions come into play.
“You waiting for someone?” a gruff voice asked to my right.
“My ride,” I answered blandly, without looking up. I didn’t want to show any interest.
“The night is young,” came a second voice from my left.
I was in trouble. The voices held no hint of helpfulness. “And I have an early morning. So it’s time for me to go home.”
“Don’t you want to party with us?” The smell of alcohol lingered heavily on the first man’s breath.
“No thanks.”
The man on the left reached out and grabbed my arm. “Sure you do.” from The Baron’s Cufflinks
The rules are different for non-fiction and screenwriting, of course. We have at least one screenwriter in this group and I’m looking forward reading to her post. (You can follow the links below to find the other posts)
One more thing before I go. I checked twice, and either dialog or dialogue are acceptable spellings according to the grammar police. So, let’s not start that argument!
Until next time, stay safe!
October 19, 2020
Do you embrace dialog or narrate your way around it? Why?
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