Writing Dialogue

One of the easiest ways for writers to tell about the characters in a story is through dialogue. But, when you write dialogue you need to ensure it is clear. Consider the following: Who is talking? When are they talking? To whom are they talking? How many people are involved in the conversation? How and with what emphasis are the words being spoken? How does the character look or move while speaking?

Rule #1: Use quotation marks to indicate words which are spoken by characters. “Remember when you were talking about going straight? No more scamming.” “Doesn’t sound like me.” “Seriously.” “Yeah. I remember.” “I guess I kind of wrecked that for you. What do you say we make a deal, and stay legal from now on?” The quotation marks signal that these words are spoken, but by whom? Before you can answer that, you have to put each line and speaker in its own paragraph.

Rule #2: Always start a new paragraph when changing speakers Rule #2: Always start a new paragraph when changing speakers. You cannot have two people speaking in the same paragraph. “Remember when you were talking about going straight? No more scamming.” “Doesn’t sound like me.” “Seriously.” “Yeah. I remember.” “I guess I kind of wrecked that for you. What do you say we make a deal, and stay legal from now on?” Each paragraph signals a new speaker. Unfortunately, you still don’t know who is speaking.

Rule #3: Make sure the reader knows who is speaking Identify who is speaking by including a speech tag: i.e., placing a phrase like John said,”…at the beginning of the quotation or …,” said John at the end. You don’t need a speech tag for every line of dialogue. When you include speech tags, use a variety of verbs instead of always using ‘said’. The important thing is that the reader is always intuitively aware of who is speaking. “Remember when you were talking about going straight? No more scamming.” “Doesn’t sound like me.” “Seriously.” Wayne sighs. “Yeah. I remember.” “I guess I kind of wrecked that for you. What do you say we make a deal,” I say, “and stay legal from now on?”

Rule #4: Use correct punctuation, capitalization and spacing Use a comma between the dialogue and the tag line. Here is an example: “I would like to go to the beach this weekend,” she told him as they left the apartment. Periods and commas go inside the quotation marks. Here is an example: He said, “I don’t want any stupid cake.” When a tag line interrupts a sentence, it should be set off by commas. Note that the first letter of the second half of the sentence is in lower case. Here is an example: What do you say we make a deal,” I say, “and stay legal from now on?”

Rule #5: Add additional details to make the characters come to life Add details that tell your reader how the character says their words, any actions they are performing while they speak, and the reactions of the other people in the conversation. I reach over to my bedside table and take a sip of warm water, using a straw. “Remember when you were talking about going straight? No more scamming.” “Doesn’t sound like me.” “Seriously.” Wayne sighs. “Yeah. I remember.” “I guess I kind of wrecked that for you.” I take the straw from my water and use it to scratch an itch under my cast, careful to avoid the stitches. “What do you say we make a deal,” I say, “and stay legal from now on?”