PolyProse

Dialogue is how an audience primarily understands a character through interaction. What one says, along with what one avoids, is very telling of a character’s personality. How characters communicate reveals relationships, allowing the audience to invest in their journeys. Through active communication, a narrative can reveal who people are and what is at stake.

Section 1: The Fundamentals of Effective Dialogue

Let’s start with the basics:

• Keep it concise and natural: Real people don’t usually speak with precise grammar.
  • Example: Instead of “I am not feeling well today,” write “I don’t feel so good.”
• Give each character a unique voice: You could likely differentiate which family member is speaking from a transcript of a dinner party. Everyone has their own distinctive way of communicating, so should your characters.

• Example: Consider Lucifer Morningstar compared to Chloe Decker from the show Lucifer. Lucifer is a demonic, wealthy playboy with a satirical tone. He is witty, uses interjections, and speaks with an emphasis on pathos. His magical ability is to bring out people’s desires, so he focuses on emotion, which bleeds into his dialogue. Chloe is a former actress, a mother, and a detective. She tends to be more inquisitive, thinks before she speaks, forms more complex ideas, and focuses on logos. She wants to understand people’s minds and motives to solve her crimes.
• Show, don’t tell: Silence on subject matter can be loud.
  • Example: Instead of writing, “She was angry,” you can use words with connotations that lean towards frustration, as in, “Get the hell away from me,” she spat through clenched teeth.

Section 2: Dialogue as a Vehicle for Character Development

Dialogue is a powerful tool for character development.

• Internal Monologue vs. External Dialogue: Explore the contrast between what a character says and what they think. This technique can subtly reveal a character’s thoughts.
  • Example: Imagine a mother pouring the last bit of soup into her child’s bowl. The child then asks the mother if she is hungry. She chooses to say, “No, I’m stuffed.” However, she has a hand on her rumbling belly.
• The “Unreliable Narrator” in Dialogue: Dialogue without internal monologue or explanation can mislead the audience. Characters might lie, exaggerate, or withhold information, leaving the audience wondering what to believe or how to interpret the dialogue.

• Example: Iago, from Shakespeare’s Othello, is a master manipulator. Iago is frustrated that Othello does not choose him for a promotion. To prove his skillful use of rhetoric, he sets out to destroy Othello. Iago uses lies and misleading figurative language to depict Cassio as a drunkard and to suggest an affair between Desdemona and Cassio, along with other key plot points. Even a simple statement like, “I am not what I am,” proves the complexity of Iago and the ambiguity of his rhetoric.
• Dialogue as a Mirror: Characters’ reactions to each other’s words can reveal personality traits through defensiveness, agreement, or dismissiveness.

• Example: In the TV show The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie Bennett, a powerful Bennett witch, chooses to stand against the vampire species. However, Caroline, one of her friends, unwillingly becomes a vampire. As a result, Caroline needs a daylight ring to resume her life. Bonnie decides to help Caroline. Even though Caroline had been her childhood friend, Bonnie includes stark warnings in her dialogue: “The witch who spells the ring has the power to dispel it, so if you ever do anything to hurt anyone…” Caroline cuts her off to defend herself, but Bonnie continues, “You’re a vampire. That means the urge to kill is part of who you are.” Caroline replies, “Bonnie, you’re supposed to be my friend.” Bonnie remains steadfast in her hate of vampires, especially after Caroline kills a man. Caroline says, “Do you really think I meant to kill that guy at the carnival?” Bonnie replies, “He’s still dead.” The dialogue carries the weight of emotional tension, characterization, and the shift of a lifelong friendship.

Section 3: Using Dialogue to Advance the Plot

Dialogue isn’t just about character; it’s also a driving force in the plot.

• Dialogue as Exposition: Convey essential information without resorting to info-dumping. Weave backstory and context into conversations.

• Example: In The Magicians, the TV show, a group of fairies is held captive. Each fairy struggles with a torturous collar around their neck. Through dialogue, it is revealed that the collars are a fairy deal. Julia, a magician, infers that fairy deals are not finite. However, the queen states, “I will not do it. Our deals are the foundation of our culture and key to our survival,” she continues her explanation, finishing with, “It would be better for all of us. For me to take it to the grave.” Fairies are treated as a superior species throughout the series. However, the dialogue divulges that fairies are not as all-powerful as portrayed. Humanity decimated their population by some unknown means in the past. The queen’s outright refusal to even consider breaking a fairy deal implies the very act may have led to their historical genocide.

• Creating Conflict and Tension: Use dialogue to foreshadow obstacles and raise the stakes. People speak of what’s on their minds. Through speech, a character may reveal underlying motivations or limitations.

• Example: In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says, “My life were better ended by their hate than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.” In basic English, he is saying that he would rather die than live a life without Juliet. This foreshadows his suicide in the final act.
• The Art of the Cliffhanger: End a scene with a line of dialogue that creates intense intrigue so the audience continues.

• Example: In Warrior Nun, the main character, Ava, begins to grasp her newfound powers. Ava has a dream with Sister Shannon. After waking up, she decides to destroy Adriel’s bones. She no longer wants to continue a war against celestial and demonic forces. She takes a dagger made of Divinium and melts it with her power, stating, “I’m going to be the last warrior nun.”

Section 4: Subverting Expectations: Original Approaches to Dialogue

Below are some ways to stretch the power of dialogue.

• Dialogue as Silence: Explore the power of unspoken words. Silence can create tension, reveal character, and advance the plot as effectively as words. A long pause before an answer can be more telling than any sentence.

• Example: The final scene in the movie Se7en ends with dialogue. The narrator, Detective Lieutenant William Somerset, says, “Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’” He pauses for a moment, then ends with, “I agree with the second part.” The pause allows the audience to absorb the quote and uncover its meaning. Additionally, it emphasizes the detective’s belief.
• Non-Verbal Communication in Dialogue: The exact words spoken are less expressive if not accompanied by their nonverbal complements. Studies suggest nonverbal communication makes up 50 to 70 percent of communication. The meaning of interactions diminishes without vocal tone, proxemics, haptics, physical appearance, and physiological conditions.

• Example A: A mother and child walk through a store. The child reaches out to touch a candy bar but stops once her mother spots her. The mother crouches down and smiles. “Go ahead, grab it,” she says with a warm voice before blowing a kiss.
• Example B: A mother and child walk through a store. The child reaches out to touch a candy bar but stops once her mother spots her. The mother licks her lips and glares at her daughter. She steps forward to loom over the child. “Go ahead, grab it,” she says with clenched teeth before cracking her knuckles.
• These two scenarios share the same dialogue, but the physicality between both indicates two very different outcomes if the child takes the candy bar.

• The Use of Vernacular: Make a character’s vocabulary specific. Word choice can establish the setting, period, social class, and character relationships.
  • Example A: Instead of simply writing, “I’m so hungry,” you could say, “I’m absolutely famished.”
  • Example B: Working in alternate timelines or points in history can be tricky. The historical context and vocabulary of a specific demographic matter. However, mistakes can happen. In the movie Titanic, Jack convinces Rose not to jump off the ship. Jack recounts the day he fell through thin ice on Lake Wissota; this is impossible since Lake Wissota was created five years after the Titanic sank.

• Surreal or Abstract Dialogue: Experiment with nonlinear conversations, fragments, and unfamiliar exchanges. When communicating, we use inside jokes, interrupt each other, and begin speaking before another can finish. Conversations can gloss over several topics or get sidetracked before reaching the main point. When listening to a stranger’s personal conversation, one could become confused, disoriented, uneasy, or unable to grasp the entire meaning of the interaction.

• Example: The tea party scene in the 2010 Alice in Wonderland. The characters engage in a surreal conversation, with parts of their dialogue too foreign for the audience to fully understand. The tea party evokes a dreamlike wonder that is essential for a place called Wonderland.

Section 5: Actionable Steps & Writing Exercises

Here are some exercises to help put these concepts into practice.

1. The Monologue for a Stranger

Choose a new character you haven’t written about yet. You could also pick someone off the street or come up with a new character. Choose any topic you’d like; political issues, social critiques, pop culture, or anything else you can think of. Write a one-page monologue from their perspective. The goal is to capture their unique voice and to examine their personality without any other characters present. Take note of your character’s speech patterns, vocabulary, and concerns of interest regarding these topics. Dig a little bit deeper and ask why they communicate this way.

2. The Subtext Scene

Write a short scene (2-3 pages) with two characters. The dialogue should be about something mundane and simple, like what to have for dinner. However, their true underlying conversation should be about a much more serious topic, a murder, a robbery, or an incoming alien invasion. Use pauses, interruptions, and body language to convey the real tension beneath the surface of their words.

3. The Unspoken Conflict

Create a scene where two characters are in conflict, but they are not allowed to speak. They can only interact through actions, gestures, and facial expressions. This forces you to practice non-verbal cues as effectively as dialogue. Afterward, write the scene a second time, this time with dialogue. Study how the words and actions work together and decide if they enhance each other. If they don’t choose which portion of the interaction is weakest and revise.

4. Reverse-Engineering Dialogue

Pick a scene from your favorite book, movie, or TV show and study the dialogue. Ask yourself:

• How does each character’s speech reveal their personality?
• What is left unsaid, and why?
• How does the dialogue move the plot forward?
• Are there any memorable lines, and what makes them so impactful?

When working on your dialogue, it’s crucial to refine your work for clarity and impact. QuillBot is my tool of choice to rephrase and polish my dialogue. Here is my affiliate link: https://try.quillbot.com/polyprose

For those longer projects with complex characters and plots, staying organized is essential. Scrivener allows you to easily manage character sheets, research notes, and chapter scenes. This program can help keep track of each character’s voice and motivations, simplifying your writing process. Here is my affiliate link: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener-affiliate.html?fpr=polyprose

Conclusion

Dialogue is a dynamic force in storytelling. The spoken and unspoken elements of dialogue drive narratives, establish character development, reveal background lore, and immerse the audience in the story. By using dialogue purposefully, a writer can create meaningful connections with their readers. I encourage you to experiment with dialogue to discover what resonates best with you and your unique narrative voice. I would love to hear about your experiences! If this blog post has been helpful, please share how it has impacted you. Include your favorite lines, their origins, and the characters who said them in the comments. If you try the writing workouts I’ve included, please share their results. Happy writing!