Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Dialog - Break it Up


Greetings from the Hermit WRiter.

Some notes I've made over the years on dialog.

  •  Never have long stretches of dialogue.
    • Break up large blocks at strategic places with
      • Physical action
      • Replies
      • Description and
      • Other story elements.
    • This enriches the rhythm of the dialogue and brings the conversation to life in your reader's mind.
  • Space the conversation within the page by giving each person their own paragraph.
    • This makes the page less overwhelming (not an endless scroll of words)
    • Gives readers a spatial beat between speakers that makes following the conversation easier.
    • Don't hide dialog within narrative.
  • Never include the main character's narrative with another character's dialog. This reduces the impact of the dialogue.

  • If the narrative doesn't tightly connect to the character's words, put it in its own paragraph.


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