Writing Authentic Dialogue

There is a huge difference between writing authentic dialogue in a novel and writing dialogue that is merely "good".

Most of the articles in this section deal with writing good dialogue - that is, conversations which are in conflict, have a point to them, flow well on the page, use language economically, and so on.

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 believable dialogue...

Authentic dialogue always avoids the obvious.

Imagine a middle-aged woman sitting at the breakfast table. Her hung over husband walks in, looking like hell. We'll call them Sarah and David.

Here is how their conversation might go...

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.

Writing authentic dialogue is all about reflecting this reality.

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. (Authentic 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...

Five Ways to Write Authentic Dialogue In Fiction

The biggest tool you have at your disposal as a great writer of dialogue is your ear. If a fictional conversation doesn't sound quite right, it probably isn't.

But by way of pointing you in the right direction, here are five "rules" on how to write convincing, authentic dialogue in your novel...

1. Avoid the Obvious

Okay, I've already said this, but it is the most important thing you can do.

If a character always says precisely what they think, with no humor or irony or subterfuge or subtext, they will sound like a robot.

2. Give Characters an Agenda

We all enter into conversations knowing what we want to get out of them, and the way we often achieve this is by broaching a subject obliquely.

If we want to borrow money, say, we won't say it straight out - we'll start by asking the listener how business is or something. Nevertheless, our agenda will be there, and we will eventually steer the conversation to the heart of the matter (or else steer it away from the heart of the matter if our aim is to conceal information).

And it is exactly the same for writing authentic dialogue for fictional characters. Two characters having a conversation in a novel will both want something, often opposing things.

A wife will want to quiz her husband about the affair she suspects he is having, though she won't come out and say it because she isn't certain yet.

Instead, she will ask him if he plans to be home late tonight. And the husband, desperate to move this conversation onto safer ground, will start talking about his latest business deal instead.

3. Use Subtext

I suppose this is partly related to the previous point, but it is worth mentioning separately. One way of adding authenticity to a passage of dialogue is to have characters talk about one thing when they are actually talking about something else.

A couple in a failing relationship, for example, might argue about what movie to watch tonight and not what is really on their minds...

• What they really believe is that they are two different people and it is time to head their separate ways.
• What they actually fight about is watching the horror movie vs. watching the romantic comedy.

4. Don't have Characters Talk in a Vacuum

It is very rare for people to talk and do nothing else. Often, they have conversations while cooking the dinner or trying to fix the radiator. Even when they are ostensibly "just talking" they are usually doing something - drinking coffee, watching the world go by, whatever.

So to write authentic dialogue, you simply need to mention these everyday, insignificant actions - chopping onions, sipping coffee, watching a boy cycle by.

What if there really is nothing going on? There always will be.

Even if two fictional characters are having a conversation while sitting down in a featureless room, they will still cough or scratch or pick threads off their clothes.

All it takes is one small mention of such an action to turn dialogue taking place in a vacuum into believable, authentic dialogue.

5. Beware of Perfect Grammar

Why? Because people don't often speak like that in the real world - and to write authentic dialogue you need to reflect this reality.

I don't mean you should use incorrect grammar - though you can (indeed, must) if a character is uneducated.

But even for well-schooled characters in your novel, don't worry about stupid rules like not ending a sentence with a preposition and not splitting an infinitive.

Use plenty of contractions, too (we'll instead of we will, don't instead of do not). Just don't overdo it.

Caveat: Don't Go Too Far

Writing authentic dialogue is important if you want your novel to convince, but there is a huge danger of going overboard...

• Yes, you want the dialogue to sound original and witty and clever, but not for every single sentence a character speaks. Do that and they will simply sound annoying.
• Yes, you want your characters to avoid awkward subjects (or, when they can't do that, to lie) - but not all of the time.
• Yes, you want to inject those little habits and mannerisms between the lines, like picking a thread from an item of clothing, but not excessively.

How do you know if you have gone too far? By putting the scene aside for a while and coming back to it with fresh eyes.

If you like what you read and it feels natural - just like authentic dialogue should - it is probably fine. If it strikes you as being just a little too clever, it probably is.

Next Step...

If you have read all of the articles in this section so far, you are well on your way to becoming a master of both well-crafted and authentic-sounding dialogue.

But you're not there yet.

The next thing to tell you about is the problem of how to handle long speeches in a novel (which run the risk of boring the readers).

I have called the article Writing Dialogue Indirectly...