Dialogue

Question 1

How do you increase conflict & tension in dialogue?

Answer 1

1. Use agendas - if a scene drags, gets characters into an argument
2. Set up barriers - outer barriers are something interrupting their conversation. Inter barriers are emotional reasons
3. Fear factor - fear is a continuum. At any given time, every character in a scene can be fearful about something

Question 2

When should you use internal monologue?

Answer 2

1. Moments of great emotional intensity
2. Crucial turning-point scenes
3. Analysing a situation
4. Challenges that cause reflection
5. Impressions on new characters or locations
6. When the character is alone

Question 3

How do you reveal character through dialogue?

Answer 3

1. Vocabulary - educational background and what words would they know?
2. Syntax (order of words) - when a character does not speak good English
3. Regionalisms - what part of the country are they from? How do they talk there?
4. Peer groups - groups that band together around a specialty (law, medicine, surfing, what phrases do they use?)

Question 4

How to set the scene with dialogue?

Answer 4

1. The way characters react to their surroundings tells us both about the location and the people reacting to it
2. The dynamics of the scene can often best be set up through dialogue E.g. Showing detective is angry at his partner through what he’s saying

Question 5

What is expository dialogue?

Answer 5

A character saying anything that both characters already know

Question 6

How to hide exposition?

Answer 6

Once you know what you need to reveal, put it into a tense dialogue exchange/confrontation

Question 7

How do you write subtext?

Answer 7

Weave subtext naturally into dialogue by knowing things a) the reader doesn’t, and/or b) the other character doesn’t.

This could be: secrets, past relationships, rich backstory, shocking experiences, vivid memories, fears, hopes, yearnings

Create a character web

Question 8

What is the parent, adult, child model?

Answer 8

Parent: full of authority. My way or the highway
Adult: even-minded, even-tempered
Child: emotional, irrational, selfish, trusting, innocent, tantrum-throwing
We relate to each other by the roles we see ourselves in. If characters have different roles or same roles with opposite agendas, the tension is automatic. Adult to adult need added tension via fear factor or barriers

Question 9

What is on-the-nose dialogue and how can you avoid it?

Answer 9

On-the-nose dialogue refers to an unsurprising and direct response to what is being said
A sidestep (random and unexpected response) will increase interest levels

Question 10

How can you control pace through dialogue?

Answer 10

If you want to slow the pace of your story, you increase the description between the dialogue and decrease the white space on the page.
Speeding things up is the opposite

Question 11

What is a powerful sidestep variation?

Answer 11

Silence is often the best choice, no matter what words you might come up with.

Question 12

What are the functions of dialogue?

Answer 12

1. Revealing story - once you know what you need to reveal, put it into a tense dialogue exchange
2. Reveal character - vocabulary, syntax, regionalism, peer groups
3. Set the tone - the way people talk to each other has a cumulative effect that sets tone
4. Set the scene - the way characters react to their surroundings
5. Reveals theme - thematic dialogue