A. E. Lowan
Dark Lord
Yes!!! Conflict = Story is my mantra. Anytime I feel like the dialogue is slowing down, I know I'm missing some conflict somewhere.
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Making Dialogue Interesting
- Thread starter Spider
- Start date
Yes!!! Conflict = Story is my mantra. Anytime I feel like the dialogue is slowing down, I know I'm missing some conflict somewhere.
wordwalker
Dark Lord
Quite true. Although, I like to think that Conflict = Change, or more precisely Conflict = potential (unwanted) change; it's what that person will do to deal with the threat of that change, whether it's empty but colorful grumbling or launching a world war to make that change come out the way he wants instead of the hero's/villain's way.
It's an important point for dialogue, because it's so easy to think of scene after scene that stays at the grumbling/worrying/hoping level, or the Further Planning level. Useful stuff, but it's useful ultimately because it spotlights that someone has a reason (and maybe the means) to push for some of that change... and yet so many scenes don't change anything in themselves.
A story has to find its own balance of change moments, "amplifying" moments, and how to set up each. But all other things being equal, more changes = more drama.
Wordwalker, beautifully stated. One thing that helps me is to plot scenes before I write them, this way I have a feel for what's going on already and the dialogue is clearer in my head. I like to plot a scene and then do a "scene vibe", where I write down what happens along with the emotion I'm aiming to produce. Its been easier to write dialogue since starting this and it doesn't take but 15-30 mins
The Dark One
Grandmaster
The secret is to really know your characters. Are you 100% in each of their heads and feeling their needs, desires, secret motivations, personalities and peccadilloes?
If yes, the dialogue flows naturally. If no...
Of course, this all starts with creating the characters in the first place. As few as possible is the way to go with everyone of them having a clearly defined purpose and some defining characteristics and oddities to make them real. Again, if yes, the dialogue flows. If no...
If yes, the dialogue flows naturally. If no...
Of course, this all starts with creating the characters in the first place. As few as possible is the way to go with everyone of them having a clearly defined purpose and some defining characteristics and oddities to make them real. Again, if yes, the dialogue flows. If no...