Because Angie Asked

by Margie Senechal 

 A while ago (one might even say a long while ago), my daughter's BFF, Angie, asked me about writing dialogue and wanted some tips. I often think of that text--usually while I'm driving or working, you know, when I can't actually pull up my computer and respond. 

So, today, I'm finally responding. I love dialogue. It's my favorite part of writing and comes relatively easy for me. I hear my character's words way before anything else. 

Before I knew Bix's name, I heard his voice in my head saying, "If another person tells me I'll appreciate my youthful looks when I'm forty, I'm going to rip his head off and pee down his windpipe." Although, that quote never made it into any of the eight versions I finished, those words shaped my image of him and who he was. 

 There are rules of course. Most of the ones I follow have to do with the speech tags. 

 1. Don't substitute said. Said is invisible--readers glide ride over it without a thought to get to the juicy dialogue. But, if you substitute words like demanded, articulated (please don't), stammered, sighed (can one actually speak and sigh simultaneously? I think not), etc...you draw the readers attention away from the dialogue I know you're thinking, "How will my readers know how the words were said?" That's what your dialogue is for, silly. 

I actually use more descriptive clauses than I use speech tags or even the word said. For the record, I'm not a great lover of said. 

 This is how I introduce Bix's mom in the ninth rewrite of Bix: “Bix?” Mom literally dances into view. Backstepping down the hall, she pumps her arms in the air and sways her hips side to side. “Are you ready?” She swirls around, catches sight of Senior’s profile, and stumbles. She smacks one hand on the wall to steady herself, while the other hand yanks the ear buds out. “Jesus, Frank, you about gave me a heart-attack.” 

 In that brief intro, you get a snapshot of Bix's mom, Daisy. 

 2. Read. Read. Read. Study, study, read consciously. If you can, highlight great dialogue when you see it. May I suggest the Bridgerton series of books? Julia Quinn has created quite the cast of characters, each one with their own unique voice. There's a scene in The Viscount Who Loved Me that features six of the characters in a game of Pall Mall or what we'd call croquet that is a master class in writing dialogue that moves the plot along, crystalizes the characters, and entertains the reader. 

 3. Listen. Dialogue is all around us. I'm lucky in that I work in retail. One day I was cashiering and I overheard a young woman tell her friend, "Have you have met someone who made you forget to breathe?" You can bet I ran a piece of receipt paper to write that down on when they left. 

 4. Include dialogue that only furthers the plot or the character. You don't need the boring aspects of conversation. "How are you?" "I'm fine. How are you?" Unless one of the characters is dying, does anyone even care? If you as the writer find yourself drifting past the dialogue, then so will your reader. 

5. Read your dialogue aloud. Its the best way to find glitches and stalls. Your ear is a better critic than your head. If that makes any sense. 

 6. Be brave enough to seek a reader. You can't write effectively in a bubble. If you want to write toward publication, you need an honest, effective critiquer. 

In my first writing class many, many moons ago, I wrote the beginning of a short story about a girl on a train that is facing a head-on collision with another train. The train she is on comes to full stop to lessen the blow. And they wait. One of my classmates asked, "Why don't they get off the train?" Well, duh. Why didn't I think of that? LOL It was so obvious, but it hadn't occurred to me. 

All that story ended up being good for was teaching me this lesson. 

 So, now I'm going to open it up for comments from my fellow writers. What's your best advice for Angie and how to write dialogue? Have a great weekend, stay safe, and mask up.