DIALOGUE

In a novel, a dialogue is lines or passages intended to be spoken by the characters. In general, it is a conversation between two or more people. It can even be a literary work written in the form of conversation e.g. The Dialogues Of Plato. These definitions have been paraphrased from the American Heritage Dictionary.

Dialogue in a novel is its most rewarding aspect. Problem is that novice writers create it instinctively. Effective dialogue is written to build a tempo, a pace in the story. It is meant to advance the story. It should never be boring. A novel consists of scenes described to generate images in the mind of the reader. A scene with at least two persons will generally involve conversation.  In a scene well created, the reader can see the actions as he/she reads, and hear what is said as if he/she were watching a movie.  Dialogue is a part of that immediate scene. Most writers agree that dialogue takes more thought than narration or action.

Narrating the  immediate scene, as if happening on stage, is showing. So what is telling in the context of fiction? It is describing what is not on stage. It is what the reader can not see. Don’t confuse telling with what one character is saying to another as in a conversation. Words spoken in the immediate scene are part ofthe show. Any dialogue between characters which is a part of the immediate scene is part of the showing. That’s what happens in a stage play. The dialogue is part of showing. The reader as a listener and a spectator can see the actors talking on stage.

A novelist is part playwright, part movie scriptwriter. The difference is that a novelist can stretch a scene over many page, which will take the reader a long ting time to read. The writer is not concerned about how long a reader takes to finish reading the scene in a novel. A movie scriptwriter creates about 60 scenes, each lasting about 2 minutes on average. He has to write to-the-point dialogue with no wasted words or lines. That’s exactly what a novelist should do to entertain the modern reader.

DIALOGUE OBJECTIVES

The conversation between characters to be interesting and engaging, should accomplish one or more of the following:

• Create tension.
• Arouse the reader’s curiosity.
• Cause a turn of events in the plot.
• Affect the relationship between participants for better or worse.
• Heighten the conflict in the novel.

Conflict, in the context of a novel, does not mean confrontational exchange of words.  These are words spoken to prevent a character, generally the protagonist, from attaining his/her goal. (See definitions of conflict in main menu.) The hurdles may be external forces (e.g. the antagonist(s),  or a natural disaster, or internal forces (e.g. the protagonist’s mind, or a personal weakness).

Now go to the DIALOGUE main menu for details on this subject.