How to Write Concise Dialogue that Rings True

Author: Sandy Vaile 
First published on the Writers in the Storm blog 03/05/23


​Dialogue is a powerful tool in fiction because it enables readers to get to know characters without the author telling them how to feel or information dumping what they need to know.

But how do you make dialogue believable and capable of communicating vital information succinctly, while captivating readers?

Speech predates written language by tens of thousands of years and is ingrained in our daily lives. It’s the basis of storytelling, so it makes sense to use it to it’s full advantage to develop characters, advance the plot, increase pace and create tension.

The last thing we want is for dialogue to ramble unnecessarily, be overly stilted or sound forced, leading readers to skim over it and not connect deeply with our characters.

Let’s explore what dialogue is, what makes it impactful, and how to write it concisely and authentically.  

 
I absolutely love dialogue because …

• It breaks long passages of narrative with dynamic information (showing).
• It enables readers to get to know characters on a personal level.
• It offers an opportunity to imply subtext through associated actions and tone.

​But it’s not always easy to write succinct speech that rings true, i.e. is relevant to what’s going on in the story, suits the character, and doesn’t feel like it’s forced. 

​To continue reading click 'read more' ...

Read More