The King of Dialogue Rules

Of all the dialogue rules you will read about in this section on writing dialogue, this one is the most important - which is why it's the king!

Or to put it another way, if you follow all the other dialogue rules and suggestions to the letter but ignore this one, you'll be in trouble. What is the rule? Simple. Dialogue in a novel must be in conflict.

It's obvious, really...

Just as a description of - I don't know - two young lovers spending a perfect day out at the zoo doesn't constitute a plot (not unless the girl falls in the lion enclosure), so two people chatting about nothing much at all - and not disagreeing, either - doesn't constitute dialogue so much as a pleasant conversation. Like this:

"What are we having for dinner?" asked Jane.
   Bill opened the fridge, shifted the milk to see to the back. "How does steak sound?"
   "Sounds great."
   "There's chicken if you prefer," he said.
   "No, steak is fine. With mashed potatoes."

A perfectly nice conversation, the kind we all have everyday - but hopeless for the purposes of novel writing. Apply the king of rules on writing dialogue, though, and it might look something like this:

"What are we having for dinner?" asked Jane.
   Bill opened the fridge, shifted the milk to see to the back. "How does steak sound?"
   "What, again?"
   "We haven't had steak since last Saturday," he said.
   "I know. And the Saturday before that and the one before that! Don't you ever fancy something different, Bill?"

Much more interesting, I'm sure you'll agree. Why? Because the dialogue is in conflict. Jane wants one thing and Bill wants something else. Bill wants to stick to the same old routine and Jane wants some adventure in their relationship. And when characters have conflicting goals, consequences are sure to follow.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with having some everyday conversation in a novel. Dialogue rules, along with every other kind of novel writing rule, are there to be broken. Sometimes a simple exchange of information between characters will be exactly what is required. But for the most part go for tension and disagreement and conflict between the characters.

Besides, writing dialogue is much more fun that way!