Create Believable Dialogue: Techniques for Writers

In an old episode of The Simpsons, Bart is signing yearbooks. He signs a book for one of the twins who reads it out loud for us. “’See ya.’ She sighs. ‘He writes the way people talk.’”

It’s been years since I’ve seen that episode and I wouldn’t be able to tell you what the actual episode is about. That two second bit, however has stayed with me. Why? Because it’s something every writer should keep in mind.

Before I focussed on my editing and ghostwriting career, I was a playwright. I started in college, and spent almost a decade after writing plays; plays for both adults and children. While I hope my first plays (written for an actual grade, mind you) never see the light of day, I love that there is proof of my dialogue development.

I became a better writer of dialogue because when I wrote plays, the dialogue is all there is. Sure, there’s the truth in the moment the actors (via the director’s vision) need to discover, but the basis of that truth, what holds that truth up is what’s being said (and what’s being left unsaid).

Write the Way People Talk

I quickly learned modern speakers use contractions, unless of course they’re proving a point. “I. Am. Not. Amused.” reads very differently from “I’m not amused.” Of course, the periods help communicate that, but even taking away the punctuation, “I am not amused.” reads differently.

Remember that the use of contractions helped the crew of the Starship Enterprise realize that Lore was masquerading as Data!

You can use dialogue to develop a character.

You can also overuse dialogue.

Too much dialogue is sometimes a sign of a newer author. I often advise clients to find that right balance. One of my favourite examples is communicating the Miranda rights. You know, what’s repeated in every police procedural: “you have the right to remain silent. Yada, yada, yada”. Having a character recite word for word the entire spiel can really throw off the pacing. The sentence, “Joe quickly rattled off my Miranda rights” tells us two things in seven words: 1. Joe knows those rights so well, he can just breeze through them; 2. The narrator was taken into custody.

How can a summary of a dialogue work as narrative?

Sometimes instead of using dialogue in the moment, we can summarize. As Inigo Montoya says, “Let me ‘splain. No, there is no time. Let me sum up.”

Take a look at this: “She tearfully recounted the night of the accident. How the rain reflected off the pavement. How the memory of her baby’s wails echoed in her mind. How everything else seemed so muted against her agony.”

To me, that reads much more vividly than a chapter and verse retelling of a woman’s fateful drive in her car.

Tricks of the Trade

If you’re struggling with not enough dialogue, or you feel your dialogue is stilted try these exercises:

Write the scene as if it were a play. If it helps, feel free to write movement as stage direction. Next, read it out loud. Now, add it back into your manuscript. Pro tip: don’t add every bit of dialogue you’ve just created.

If you’re struggling with too much dialogue, try this:

Take out every single spoken word. Replace it with narrative as in the examples provided. Then, sprinkle the dialogue back in.

How did those exercises work? Were they beneficial? I’d love to know! And remember: dialogue is hard. Just like everything, however, the more you work at it, the easier it becomes.

Don’t forget to read! Other author’s books will give you inspiration as well as education.