Welcome back to our dialogue series! We’ve already discussed how to skip the pleasantries while keeping your characters’ conversations realistic and purposeful. Today, we’re going to focus on a critical aspect of dialogue that can truly bring your characters to life: showcasing their unique traits through their speech.
The Power of Speech in Characterization
Every character in your story has a unique voice shaped by their background, personality, and current emotional state. Just as people express themselves differently based on their experiences and feelings, your characters should also have distinct ways of speaking that reflect who they are. Effective dialogue should give readers insight into a character’s psyche without needing lengthy descriptions. It’s about showing rather than telling.
Ways to Showcase Character Through Dialogue
- Dialect and Accent: Reflect a character’s geographical and social background through their accent and dialect. This can immediately give the reader a sense of where they’re from and their cultural background. For example, though both states are in the southwest, people in Texas speak differently than people in New Mexico. Take the time to research ways of speaking where your story takes place. If you’re writing sci-fi or fantasy, take the time to add this into your worldbuilding.
- Word Choice and Syntax: Each character’s choice of words and the construction of their sentences can reveal a great deal about their personality and experiences. Complexity of a character’s language can indicate their education level or intelligence, even that they pride themselves on this, while simplicity and directness can show straightforwardness or sincerity.
- Rhythm and Pace: How fast a character speaks and the rhythm they use can reveal their current mood or long-term disposition. Anxious characters might speak quickly or in fragments, while a calm, confident character might take their time.
- Speech Tags and Descriptions: Effective dialogue isn’t just about the words spoken; it also involves how those words are delivered. Use speech tags and actions interspersed with dialogue to add depth to what is being said, showing the character’s emotions and reactions. This technique helps paint a fuller picture of the scene, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the character’s emotional state and intentions.
Examples of Character-Driven Dialogue
Consider how authors like Jane Austen, Sally Rooney, or Leigh Bardugo use dialogue. Their characters’ speech is not just functional; it’s also emblematic of their personalities and roles within the story. Austen, for example, uses dialogue to reveal the sly wit or foolishness of her characters, often through what is unsaid or indirectly implied. Rooney, known for her novels such as Normal People, uses dialogue to delve deeply into the intricacies of personal relationships and social dynamics, often capturing the unspoken tensions and desires between characters. Her dialogue reveals much about her characters’ inner lives through what they choose to disclose or withhold in conversations. Leigh Bardugo, in her Grishaverse series including Six of Crows, crafts dialogue that not only builds a rich fantasy world but also sharply defines her characters. Through their interactions, she reveals their cunning, their vulnerabilities, and their moral complexities, making each conversation crucial to understanding their motives and personalities.
Practical Tips for Crafting Unique Voices for Each Character
- Read Aloud: This can be incredibly effective in catching inconsistencies in voice or dialogue that feels unnatural. If something sounds off, it probably needs tweaking.
- Incorporate Internal Dialogue: Sometimes, what a character thinks but does not say can be as revealing as their spoken words. Use internal monologue to provide contrast or deeper insight into their personality.
- Utilize Silence: Remember that pauses and silence can speak volumes. Use breaks in dialogue to highlight moments of tension, misunderstanding, or emotional depth.
- Experiment with Textual Presentation: Play with the formatting of dialogue to reflect unique aspects of a character, such as a stutter, emphasis, or whispers, which can help readers hear the dialogue as you intend.
- Revise with Purpose: Go through your dialogue during revisions to tighten phrasing and ensure that each line is reflective of the character speaking. For example, if a character is upset by something another said, they might be silent and retreat into themselves, while another character in the same situation might instead bite back before thinking. Other questions to ask for each dialogue exchange include: Does it reveal enough about your characters? Does it enhance the story by adding depth to character interactions?
Enhancing your dialogue to showcase your characters’ personalities is not just about differentiating them—it’s about making them memorable and vivid to your readers. As you refine your characters’ voices, you’ll find that your dialogue not only flows better but also contributes more significantly to the narrative’s development.
In the next article, we’ll explore how to keep your dialogue concise and impactful.
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