Writing Authentic Dialogue

There is a difference between writing authentic dialogue and writing merely good dialogue. Most of the articles in this section deal with writing good dialogue - conversations which have a point to them, which use language economically and which "flow" well.

But there is little point in filling your novel with well-crafted dialogue if it somehow fails to "ring true". And so here is the single most important key to writing authentic dialogue...

Authentic Dialogue Always Avoids the Obvious

Imagine a middle-aged woman sitting at the breakfast table. Her hungover husband walks in, looking like hell. We'll call them Sarah and David. Here is how their conversation might go...

"Morning," said Sarah. "How are you feeling?"
   "Absolutely awful."
   "Could you manage some toast?"
   "I don't think I could stomach it," said David.
   Sarah poured him some coffee instead, with no milk, and asked him how last night had been."
   "Good," said David. "The part of it I can remember."

Not exactly the stuff page-turners are made from. The dialogue fails to ring true because it's dull and obvious. The characters in this novel say precisely what we would expect two people in this situation to say. But here's the thing: folks don't usually talk that way in the real world - and in a novel they never do. Instead, they...

• Rephrase lines to make them fresh and interesting, perhaps funny too.
• Say the exact opposite to what they really think.
• Try to avoid having the conversation altogether by changing the subject.
• Come out with an outright lie.

And so when Sarah asks her husband how he is feeling, he won't say "absolutely awful" - instead, he'll say he "feels great" or "just zippity, thanks!" or he might even ignore her altogether. (Dialogue in novels is often just as much about what characters don't say as what they do.)

Instead of asking David if he could manage some toast (boring!) Sarah could say, "I take it you won't be having extra syrup on your pancakes." And when she goes on to quiz him about his night out, David (not wanting to discuss it) could pretend he hasn't heard.

Here, then, is an improved version of the breakfast table scene...

"Morning," said Sarah. "You look good."
   "Not half as good as I feel," said David.
   "I take it you won't be having extra syrup on your pancakes."
   No answer, not even a glance.
   "Coffee it is, then," she said and poured him a large one. Black. As she watched her husband sip it and wince, she asked if his watch had packed up again."
   Still nothing.
   "Only I could have sworn you promised to be home before midnight," said Sarah.
   David sipped some more coffee, pulled a face. "Is this stuff fresh?"

Writing Authentic Dialogue - the Rules

The biggest tool you have at your disposal as a great writer of dialogue is your ear. If it doesn't sound quite right, it probably isn't. But by way of pointing you in the right direction, here are some "rules" on how to write convincing dialogue...