This podcast provides 10 tips for writing better dialogue, emphasizing the importance of purpose, conflict, and tension in dialogues. It discusses curating dialogue, creating unique character vocabularies, and using subtext. The podcast also explores the role of dialogue in controlling pacing and offers strategies for crafting engaging dialogue.
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Purposeful Dialogue
Ensure dialogue serves a purpose: reveal character, establish context, highlight themes, set the tone, or advance the plot.
Avoid dialogue that merely fills space; every line should contribute meaningfully to the story.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Dialogue Example: Fable
In Fable, dialogue reveals character dynamics.
Fable's discomfort with Coi and the central conflict are subtly established through their short exchange.
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Dialogue as Action
Treat dialogue as action, not exposition.
Characters speak to achieve goals; understand their motivations to write meaningful dialogue.
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In today’s episode, I’m sharing my top 10 tips for writing stronger, more impactful dialogue in your novel. Here’s a preview of what’s included:
[02:00] Tip #1: Make sure your dialogue serves a purpose in the overarching story. [03:00] Tip #2: Think of your dialogue as action vs. exposition (or active vs. passive). [06:09] Tip #3: Get clear on each character’s goal and motivation within a scene. [07:43] Tip #4: Make sure your dialogue is ripe with conflict and tension. [10:02] Tip #5: Check that your dialogue sounds right for your genre and tone. [11:15] Tip #6: Ensure each character has a unique and rich vocabulary. [13:13] Tip #7: Curate your dialogue to show readers only what they need to see. [14:30] Tip #8: Keep your dialogue short and to the point. [16:16] Tip #9: Aim to have your dialogue do more than one thing—and include subtext. [18:19] Tip #10: Use dialogue to help you control your story’s pacing. [20:17] Final thoughts and episode recap.
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