Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is my system for writing dialogue.
Getting Characters Talking
Dialogue came late to me as a writer.
Much of my earliest work only ever made passing reference to what my characters said. At most, I would include maybe one or two funny or cool quotes.
Conversation was just something I did not feature in my writing for a long time. This may have partially stemmed from my elementary and middle grade English classes.
Quotation marks were always one of the roughest grammar topics for me. I always had trouble telling when to place periods and when to place commas. I did not want to deal with that stuff on my own time.
Thankfully, I did eventually get over my hang-ups with dialogue.
I realized dialogue was an important tool not only for characterizing my characters, but also building their connections. Showing these details through dialogue is far more powerful than running through them with a narrator’s description.
Over time, I have developed my own system for crafting dialogue. It incorporates both learning from other writers and my personal observations.
I discuss my system here for three reasons:
- So my readers may appreciate the effort on my part. I created a whole system for crafting dialogue, and I would like people to understand my work in building it.
- To share the meaning of some of my dialogue conventions. I want readers to know that everything I mention alongside dialogue has some sort of meaning.
- To help other aspiring writers. Dialogue took me a while to figure out. Maybe I can help someone else get it sooner.
Said, Said, Said
This was something I started learning on my own. Still, it is something which other writers’ insights have reinforced for me.
Best example is American writer Mark Twain’s essay “William Dean Howells” about fellow author William Dean Howells. Here Twain discusses common issues with writing dialogue and proposes Howells as a model of good dialogue.
You see, the standard way to introduce dialogue is with something like,
Christopher Kotcher said, “Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog.”
“Said” is one of the more common ways to begin dialogue. Other similar words include “reply” and “answer.” I will simply call these words which clearly introduce dialogue, introductions.
One needs variety among these words. Otherwise, you may have a conversation like,
Bill said, “You’re dumb.”
Frank said, “Yeah, well you’re stupid.”
Bill said, “Doesn’t matter. You’re still dumber than me.”
Frank said, “So, you admit to being dumb?”
Annoying, isn’t it?
Twain thinks so. In fact, he goes one step further.
Twain wants writers to have their characters do actions alongside dialogue. He calls these actions stage directions.
According to Twain, stage directions help show meanings of dialogue “which may no be perceived if entrusted to the bare words of talk.” Writers should move beyond merely using introductions for dialogue.
As seen in Howells, Twain urges writers to do more. Say when people are laughing, crying, or even if they are “flipping ash from a cigar.” Introductions should be used as needed, but they needed clear stage directions.
One of my common tactics is using a specific introduction only once in any bit of dialogue. I may use the word “said” at the beginning to prepare a reader for approaching dialogue. Afterwards, “said” should not appear again.
The only exception occurs if another character is mentioned as part of a stage direction. Then a simple introduction like “said” can help clarify the first character mentioned is the one speaking.
Let us put this all together and revise our example from earlier. See how these techniques can change the meaning in that dialogue.
Bill punched Frank’s shoulder and said, “You’re dumb.”
Frank smirked and replied, “Yeah, well you’re stupid.”
Bill laughed, shook his head, and added, “Doesn’t matter. You’re still dumber than me.”
Frank grinned and asked, “So, you admit to being dumb?”
Kind of changes the meaning of that dialogue. Doesn’t it?
Coded Directions
As dialogue continues, I may also remove introductions and keep only the stage directions. To use the example from earlier,
Bill punched Frank’s shoulder and said, “You’re dumb.”
Frank smirked. “Yeah, well you’re stupid.”
Bill laughed and shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. You’re still dumber than me.”
Frank grinned. “So, you admit to being dumb?”
Of course, this technique depends on giving a working meaning to these stage directions to keep things consistent during writing. To show what I mean, let us run through the meanings for some of my more common stage directions.
First is blinking. When I say a character blinks, I mean they are surprised.
This seems obvious for moments of physical danger or suspense. People blink when something charges at their face. But I also use blinking to describe surprise at words and ideas.
People often blink when they hear something shocking. Something which may change or even reinforce their outlook in an unexpected way.
The brain just needs to pause and process information. A quick blink can provide that break in an ongoing conversation.
Also, I like my blinking stage direction in a symbolic way. In blinking, we close our eyes to immediately open them again. We open ourselves to something new even as we are still looking at the world in front of us.
Another of my favorite stage directions is laughing. When I say characters laugh, I mean they overfilled with joy. They simply need to let it all out.
I reserve laughter for when my characters are at their best or with someone who brings out the best in them.
I never say a character forces a laugh. If it is forced, it is not true laughter. Not true joy.
For these times, I say characters chuckle.
Chuckling is often equated with laughing. But a chuckle is a brief attempt at a laugh. An effort to show joy even when it does not fill your being.
When I say my characters chuckle, I mean they want others to believe them to be happy. There will be some awkwardness or tension in the air when my characters chuckle instead of laugh.
Pure Dialogue
I will share one last technique here. Though I will talk about this one a bit differently.
This is a tactic many people believe they can do even though they cannot. So, I wish to emphasize this section as a message to my fellow writers.
This is my least-seen tactic. It should be used mainly after introductions give way to stage directions and only when just two characters are talking. The only other time it may be used is at the beginning of a section of writing if you are skilled enough.
This is the tactic of pure dialogue. Dialogue without introductions or stage directions.
In pure dialogue, I leave readers with only what my characters say. Nothing introduces the fact a character is talking. Nothing is written about the characters’ actions while talking. Characters’ names do not even appear in front of their dialogue.
Look to our example again. Imagine Bill and Frank have been talking for a while and palling around. Think of how close pure dialogue may make them sound.
“You’re dumb.”
“Yeah, well you’re stupid.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re still dumber than me.”
“So, you admit to being dumb?”
Pure dialogue shows characters so lost in conversation that the outside world may as well not exist. Sometimes in pure dialogue, readers may not even need to know which character is talking.
The two characters have melded into one mind through their speech. Therefore, pure dialogue should be reserved for the greatest of friends, loved ones, and enemies.
Pure dialogue should be saved for the middle of a conversation.
You need to lead a reader into this moment, and you need time for your characters to connect in this way.
This moment should not be a conversation’s natural end. No one wants to stop talking during a moment like this. Pure dialogue should end either with a gradual return to the outside world or a sudden outside interruption snapping characters back to reality.
When used to begin a section of writing, pure dialogue can be good to establish mystery. Make readers wonder who could be talking and how these characters’ connections could be so strong.
Still, some remaining rules apply.
As always, keep things limited to two characters for simplicity’s sake. End things either gradually or with a sudden outside interruption.
You should also explain the characters’ bond after the dialogue. Preferably immediately.
Mysteries are planted in books in order to be solved. The longer you wait to resolve them, the less satisfying they may seem to readers.
Readers will start forming their own theories. Some may be better than what you wrote.
Just Keep Talking
Rules for writing should guide you until you know the right way to break them.
My current dialogue system was built by making and breaking rules I was told and rules I created. Perhaps I may one day shatter my current dialogue system in favor of something greater.
I may even be inspired by how someone else learns, adapts, and breaks my dialogue system for their purposes.
For now, my dialogue system still works for my purposes. I can communicate all kinds of meaning in how my characters communicate.
That makes my dialogue system worth following and maintaining today.
Kotcher’s Call to Action
Many of the works in the cKotch.Com portfolio feature good examples of my dialogue system at work. These works include Story Chronicles-Ulysses’ Chapter 1, Charlie The Crusader: Lunch, and especially Tale of the Snow Siren.
Also, if you like my content and wish to see more, then you have a few options.
You could check out my book Five Strange Stories on Amazon. Five Strange Stories is enrolled in the Kindle Matchbook program, so anyone who buys the paperback can also get the eBook for free.
You can also check my Essential Posts page for links to some of my greatest posts to the cKotch.Com blog.
Finally, be sure to like my Facebook page and share it with your friends. I post a link there whenever a new blog post goes live each Friday at 5:00 PM EST.