Welcome back to our dialogue series! In our last post, we introduced the series and highlighted the importance of effective dialogue in your writing. Today, we’re diving into our first guideline: skipping the pleasantries.
Why Skipping Pleasantries Matters
In real life, conversations often start with small talk and pleasantries. However, in writing, these can slow down your narrative and bore your readers. Jumping straight into the meat of the conversation keeps your readers engaged and drives the story forward. Including too much realistic small talk can be a common misstep for many writers.
While it’s important for your characters to reflect real people, this doesn’t mean every mundane detail needs to be depicted on the page. In real life, we might frequently ask others how they are, but our characters can often bypass this. Moreover, with familiar faces we encounter regularly, these routine greetings are often unnecessary, and it’s the same for our characters.
How to Skip the Pleasantries
So, how can you effectively skip the pleasantries in your dialogue? One technique is to summarize the small talk instead of writing it out. For instance, you can say “Introductions were made” instead of detailing every line of the introduction. These exchanges are so commonplace that the reader can fill in what was said with very little mental effort.
Jumping straight into the core of the conversation not only keeps the narrative tight but also maintains the reader’s interest.
Let’s look at an example. Consider the difference between these two dialogues:
With pleasantries:
“Hi, how are you?” Dave asked.
“I’m good, thanks. How about you?”
“Good, good. So, have you heard about the new project?”
Without pleasantries:
I’d barely stepped out of the elevator when I saw Dave barreling down the hall toward me.
“Have you heard about the new project?” he asked, huffing slightly.
The second version gets straight to the point, keeping the dialogue concise and focused. This technique is especially useful in scenes where pacing is critical. It also has the added benefit of allowing space to set the scene, show character, highlight what the conflict/tension will be, etc.
Practical Tips for Implementation
To implement this guideline, focus on relevance. Ensure every line of dialogue serves a purpose. Use action beats to replace small talk with actions that convey character and setting. Trust your readers to fill in the blanks with commonplace interactions. For example, instead of writing out every detail of a greeting, you could describe a character’s reaction to the greeting or an action they take immediately after.
Take some time to review your current manuscript. Identify places where small talk can be cut and consider the impact of these changes on the overall narrative flow. Does the dialogue feel more dynamic? Is the pacing improved? Reflect on these questions to fine-tune your approach.
Skipping pleasantries in your dialogue is a powerful tool for maintaining reader engagement and driving your story forward. In the next post, we discuss the importance of keeping dialogue realistic but purposeful.
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