***Don’t forget to read the Caveats***

Dialogue.

It’s important to any story — short, long, novel, you name it.

Why?

In fiction, the purpose of dialogue serves multiple purposes.

It should convey information to the reader.
It should reveal character.
It should move the story forward.

The key is to make dialogue sound natural, convey information subtly, and not be boring.

Boring Dialogue

Would you like to open a book, or read a short story, and see the following?

     “Hi, Mary,” Joe said.

     “Hi, Joe,” Mary replied.

     “How is your day?” Joe asked.

     “Oh, okay, I guess.”

     “Nice weather we’re having.” Joe glanced up at the crystalline blue sky.

     Mary nodded. “Yeah. But it might be nice if it rained.”

     Joe agreed.

     “So, Joe. How’s your mom?” Mary scuffled her toe in the dry dirt.

     “She’s feeling better,” Joe replied. “And your parents?”

I could go on, but my eyes are already glazed over. While the conversation above is something you might hear in real life, it doesn’t exactly make for good reading. ‘Real Life’ doesn’t always readily apply to fiction.

Remember, it’s okay to skip the boring parts. And remember, the purpose of dialogue is to move the story forward. If two characters are talking about mundane things, does it push the story, or does it make the reader’s eyes glaze over?

And as with any writing, the #1 way to find out if your writing flows naturally is to Read it Out Loud.

Come back for Dialogue Part 2 – Punctuation