Dialogue

Dialogue is an important piece to the fiction puzzle. It is how characters communicate, and it can also be used to reveal plot and details. There are several ways that dialogue can achieve these goals. The important thing is to remain consistent throughout the document no matter what is a chosen format of dialogue. Kerry Neville Bakken, James Wood, and E.M. Forster expand on dialogue in their craft books. When writing dialogue, it is important to make it natural. As a writer, one has to create a character and base the dialogue off of them. If it doesn’t seem like something the character would say, then it shouldn’t be said. A reader will notice that the dialogue doesn’t feel natural. There should be a certain type of formality with dialogue, but it shouldn’t be so formal that it feels unnatural. Characters should be relaxed when they speak to each other, unless it is a certain formal situation. Creating texture with dialogue is the best thing to do. Having characters talk about something other than the problem is the best way to effectively use dialogue, this adds subtext to the character’s interaction. When done correctly, it is extremely effective. Kerry Neville Bakken says, “What do I mean by ‘texture’ anyway? It’s the response I use when a story, a scene, skims the surface, when we don’t get a sense of an intelligence at work behind the scenes, not only writing the story, but in writing what comes out of the mouths of characters in the story. Characters who have textured dialogue, are, for lack of a better term, ‘engaged’ with a world beyond themselves” (118). In other words, the characters talk about something other than their point and something other than themselves. Bakken also notes, “Good, meaningful dialogue always conveys information in surprising and humorous ways” (119). Subtext is the best way to convey information for the reader. One of the examples that Bakken uses is “Hills Like White Elephants” by Earnest Hemmingway. She states that, when teaching it in her class, her students never thought it was about abortion due to the information that was given and the language that was used. That is how good dialogue and subtext works. Bakken also insists that dialogue has to have texture. “What do I mean by this? It must show signs of intelligence at work, of characters living inside a world filled with stuff and substance: peau de soie or charmeuse? To war with the unenlightened despot or not? Chipotle or habanero? Phalanastery or hermitage?” (Bakken 122). Characters become intelligent when they talk about something other than the point of the conversation. That is what Bakken is getting at with her section in “What We Talk about When We Talk.” Another important thing to keep in mind about dialogue is not using it as exposition. It can be used to reveal certain things, but it shouldn’t be used to show the reader a certain scene or event. When dialogue becomes exposition, the reader becomes very bored with the descriptions and their attention is lost. This can also be known as throw away dialogue. James Wood states, “Dialogue is the best way to communicate with one’s readers, and that nothing kills ‘life’ so much as ‘explanation’” (213). Make dialogue meaningful. If the story can’t live without it then it is necessary; however, if a scenario can live without it then omit it completely. Refrain from using “pass-the-salt” dialogue. This term was dropped on me in my Fiction I class. We have all sat around a table and passed food to our family members. Stay away from using phrases that would be used at a dinner table. That type of dialogue is useless to the story and bores the reader. James Wood made a great point in his book How Fiction Works. He said, “Dialogue should be carrying multiple meanings, and that it should mean different things to different readers at the same time (215).” This goes back to the statement I made about having characters talk about something other than the point. Dialogue should have meaning, but it is important for it to mean two different things. Think of it this way: when having a conversation with a girl, she always says one thing but means another. “I’m fine” is a great example of that. She says that she is fine but in all reality she is ready to tear your head off. Crafting dialogue in that sense will great a type of suspense in the story and makes your reader wondering, “Now what is really going on here?” When they start to read between the lines then they won’t be able to put the book down until they figure out the mystery subject. In E.M. Forster’s book, Aspects of the Novel, we are told how to construct stories. When Forster spoke about dialogue he said, “The specialty of the novel is that the writer can talk about his characters as well as through them or can arrange for us to listen when they talk to themselves (84).” Dialogue is meant for the reader, not the characters. While it is not meant for exposition, it is a way that characters can reveal information to the reader by talking about something other than the point. As far as stylistic choices with dialogue, there are a couple of things that can be done. The most common way to format dialogue is to use quotation marks around the phrase that is being spoken. Dashes can also be used. Those are seen mostly in Europe and are not very common in the United States, but nonetheless, it has been done. Lastly, you could just choose to have no type of punctuation to offset the dialogue. We have seen that while reading The Architect of Flowers. Personally, I dislike the lack of punctuation in dialogue. It was confusing for me and it made the stories seem to read slower. I think it makes a story much cleaner with the dialogue is offset. Also, the reader is completely aware as to what is being said and when it is being said. They are not left guessing or wondering, “Is so and so still talking?” I had a great problem with trying to figure out if a character was actually speaking or if it was exposition based on the language that was used. Dialogue is an aspect that should be done correctly in a story. While rules can be broken, dialogue should still feel natural and should not be used in place of exposition. There is no right or wrong way to offset it, only your personal preference. In many of the craft books, dialogue is spoken of in great detail. Why? It is one of the most important p