Writing Dialogue

In the beginning (and forever, for some writers) dialogue can be the most difficult aspect of writing. Nonfiction dialogue is easier, especially in journalism, because you are recreating a real conversation. If you've recorded, say, an interview, extracting sections perhaps for a Q & A is fairly straightforward. I say fairly because you wouldn't want to write the true conversation, reproducing every "um", "uh" and other pause-filling sounds.

Beware of being too faithful to your notes or a recording and allowing the speaker to use incorrect grammar. I tried this once with a school superintendent who, in truth, sounded like the idiot redneck that he was. The dialogue didn't get by my city editor, however. He threw the copy back at me with a charge to "clean it up!"

Dialogue for fiction is even more critical because it is part of characterization and moves the plot along (we hope). No one wants characters sounding stiff, weird or anything other than what they are supposed to be. Ordinary people use contractions in daily speech, so don't forget to include them in your dialogue, unless your characters are robots or aliens (from another planet or outer space).

One practice opportunity is to simply listen to ongoing conversations. I find sitting at Starbucks with a coffee the perfect situation for hearing all sorts of people talk. I note distinguishing words and expressions that reveal personalities and perhaps unseen characteristics. I like to listen to the half of mobile phone conversations in which we seem to drown. Also, I imagine what the other half is saying as another dialogue exercise.