Dialogue—The Speech of Fiction

February 11, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

last modified February 17, 2011

We all know what dialogue is. It’s those cheesy words from the mouths
of sitcom characters, words that no one in real life would ever have the guts or
bad manners to say, right?

Or it’s those drawn-out speeches in movies, speeches filled with impassioned

conviction and heartfelt pleas that convince opponents to lay down their
pitchforks or switch to the speaker’s point of view.

Maybe not.

Who in real life lets another person spout off without interruption, especially to
argue points he or she doesn’t agree with? Even an evangelist preaching to the
choir hears Amen and Tell it, brother. There’s a response if the parties agree
and there’s an even stronger response when the parties are in opposition.

So… What is good—effective—dialogue? Dialogue that won’t get your words

laughed out of an agent’s or publisher’s office?

*******

Dialogue is the speech of fiction, the talk between two or more characters. It
is speech appropriate for the story, verbal communication that works with
and for, not against, the fiction. Good dialogue draws the reader into an
imaginary world and works to keep her there.

Bad dialogue works against fiction, against that writer-reader contract that says
the reader will believe the unbelievable as long as the writer does nothing to
shatter that belief, does nothing to inject the real world into the imaginary one.

Dialogue is one of the key elements of fiction. Without it, there is no story. If
dialogue is truly bad, no one will read the story. If it’s only moderately bad, you
might find readers, but they won’t compare the story to their favorites. At least
not favorably. But if the dialogue is good or great, if it does its job, then the
story has a chance to be great, to be read and remembered fondly.
The Tasks of Dialogue
Dialogue, for all its importance, can’t do everything in a story. Plot and
character and action and description and all the other elements have their
places and duties. But dialogue does have responsibilities. Dialogue is used to

~ Advance plot. Dialogue can and should both direct and change the

course of a story. A simple revelation dropped at a dinner party can lead to
murder. A tidbit whispered in passing could provide the motivation for one
character’s drive to defeat an opponent. A secret spilled could reunite lovers or
drive them apart for years.

Dialogue is a catalyst; it should cause something to happen. Characters

should not be the same after a scene of dialogue. A story’s direction
should be altered by dialogue.

If your dialogue doesn’t incite change, it’s not carrying its weight.

~ Reveal character. A revelation can be about a character’s personality or

motivation or back story. It can be insight or secret or a simple description of
the character’s looks. Almost anything that can be revealed about a character
can be presented via dialogue, either that  character’s or another’s.

In truth, what another character reveals is often more telling—more compelling

—than what a character says about himself.

~ Create or increase conflict. Dialogue cannot be bland. Characters shouldn’t

speak with an easy back and forth agreement reminiscent of a tennis exhibition
between equally skilled opponents. Rather, the words of one character should
increase the tension in the other character, in the scene, and even in the
reader. This verbal tennis match should have hits and misses with characters
trying to score off one another.

This doesn’t mean that a character can’t be passive-aggressive. Not all tennis

players have the same style, and not all characters face dialogue in the same
manner. But don’t doubt that in any confrontation, each character wants to
come out on top.

Dialogue should shake up the status quo, not prolong it. This can be
accomplished by characters misunderstanding one another—either by accident
or deliberate ploy—by characters talking across one another, and by characters
with separate agendas pursuing those agendas at the expense of others.

~ Break up passages of action or description. Too much of any element in

fiction is simply too much. Readers need a break between action scenes;
unrelenting description can put the reader to sleep; exposition without pause
is merely a report;  and constant dialogue, as would constant conversation in
real life, annoys people somethin’ fierce.

Dialogue, then, can be used to interrupt events, description, and exposition, to

balance the storytelling elements.

~ Elicit reader emotion. Any of the story elements can be used to elicit
emotion from readers. Good dialogue can do it by revealing a character’s
deepest needs, by baring a character before others. By baring a character to
himself. Dialogue is not fluff, it’s the important part of communication between
characters. It is words with meaning. And once spoken, dialogue will result in
consequences for the character.

Dialogue can be a powerful force for setting the reader against a character or
for drawing her to the character’s corner.

*******

Any number of characters can take part in dialogue, though you will often find
dialogue restricted to a small number of characters. Two people in
opposition keep the conflict tight between them. Adding other characters can
diffuse the tension.

A new character, however, could increase tension. Especially if that character

brings new arguments to the scene or takes the side of one of the other
characters against his opponent.

In addition to speaking with others, characters can also speak to themselves.

Thoughts are an inner dialogue and should conform to the same standards as
spoken dialogue—advancing plot, revealing character, and so on. (A reminder:
Thoughts are not put in quotation marks, as is spoken dialogue. Italics can be
used to indicate a character’s thoughts. Yet, if you’ve written the viewpoint
character such that the reader is privy to his thoughts, no adjustment to font or
punctuation is necessary; the reader will know which sentences are thoughts
belonging to the character. Do use italics if you’re using third-person narration
and a character thinks words such as I, my or me. )

*******

How can you keep your dialogue on track? What creates memorable rather than
laughable dialogue? Consider this list—

1.  Give characters different voices—different word choices, rhythms, and

styles.

2.  Don’t explain everything. Dialogue isn’t normal conversation.

3.  Skip the pointless words and near words, the ums and uhs.

4.  Use words appropriate for your audience and genre and character. Is the
story young adult, suspense, action, or romance? Would a character say the
words you’ve put into his mouth?

5.  Limit dialogue tags to the basics of said and asked. (For more on dialogue
tags and exceptions to this suggestion, see The Use and Misuse of Dialogue
Tags.)

6.  Alternate dialogue with action, description, and exposition.

7.  Put your characters in an identifiable place and time while they converse.
Give them actions while they speak. Avoid talking-head syndrome.

8.  Don’t use dialogue to preach your pet message.

9.  Don’t forget other characters in the scene while two of your characters
converse; those others must be doing something.

10.  Use dialogue to reveal information unknown to characters, not what is

already known. (Keep far from examples of You know, Bob, the telling of
information to a character who already knows it, simply as a means of
conveying that info to the reader.)

11.  Use dialogue to miscommunicate.

12.  Don’t permit characters to speak at length without interruption by another
character or an action scene or a bit of description. This is dialogue, not
monologue.

13.  Allow characters to speak over one another, cutting off each other’s words.

14.  Use subtext. What is unsaid—ignored, hinted at, or implied—flavors the

scene and can increase conflict.

15.  Avoid repetition of names in dialogue; nobody uses someone else’s name
every other sentence. Use names to help the reader keep characters straight
and for effect, perhaps as a means for one character to annoy another. But
don’t repeat them for no reason.

16.  Remember to increase tension, advance plot, and reveal character.

17.  Know the rules and learn how to break them to create unforgettable
dialogue.

*******

Good dialogue is essential for good fiction. Learn how to write it. Learn how to
write it consistently.

Some writers excel at dialogue, knowing the rhythms and words of their
characters and how to best to portray them. Other writers have to work harder
to write realistic dialogue. The good news is, writers can improve their dialogue-
writing skills. Knowing that it can be done is a first step. Learning tips for
improving dialogue is a vital second step.

And putting those tips into practice can put a writer on the path to realistic and
compelling dialogue, dialogue that will make a story stand out for all the right
reasons.
Plot, Setting, and Character—Fiction’s Top 3
February 24, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill
last modified February 26, 2011

Dozens of elements go into novels, into crafting quality fiction. Yet there is no
doubt that plot, setting, and character deserve a great deal of attention.

Stories of every length are about characters doing things in some place—
people, place, and event. Plot, setting, and character deal with the story  of
stories. This is what the reader opens a book to find. He doesn’t care about
diction or point of view or pacing or the other elements of fiction that the writer
is concerned with—except as those elements succeed or fail at creating an
entertaining story. Yes, he may come to read elegant prose or the gritty rat-a-
tat-tat of a crime novel, but he doesn’t want only to read words: he wants to
experience adventure.

The reader comes to a novel to be entertained, to pass time, to lose himself in a

world different from his own. He wants to imagine himself as the lead character,
having exploits, going places he may never visit in his real life. He may come to
story on a journey of self-discovery, willing to learn as the protagonist learns. 

He wants to identify with a person other than himself, experience events far
from those of his daily life, become immersed in a new country or city or world.
He wants character, plot, and setting. And he wants them realistic enough that
he can become lost in the fiction.

*******

Lovers of fiction—readers, writers, editors, critics—see fiction divided into two

camps. There’s the character-is-primary camp—often associated with literary
fiction. And there’s the plot-first camp—often associated with genre fiction.
Both sides agree that stories need characters doing things, overcoming
adversities, coming to decision points. They agree that stories must take place
somewhere.

Their basic disagreement is on the degree of emphasis given to character and

plot. It’s not that either side seeks to rid story of one of the big three elements.
It’s just that they find one approach to story to be superior—more comfortable,
more entertaining, or perhaps more enriching than the other.

Neither side doubts the value of setting, though no writer will approach his use
of setting the same way any other writer does. Still, writers and readers expect
a story to take place somewhere and at some time. Writers and readers
recognize that setting affects mood and event possibilities and
character temperament. Setting is a necessity, but it doesn’t necessarily
attract readers the way plot and character do. Readers don’t come to a novel
and follow breathlessly because of where the story is set. (Though a
reader may choose a book with one setting over a book with another, other
elements being equal. That is, a reader may enjoy murder mysteries
investigated by a plucky amateur sleuth but prefer the London of 1880 to
the twenty-first century Australian outback.) 

Readers come for the characters, to see how they’ll overcome the obstacles of
their lives. Or, viewed from the other side, they come for a plot that entertains,
one that influences character behavior and thought. A story that changes a
character’s life.

Character First

Those who prefer the emphasis on character find that the focus on character
motivation and conflict, character insight, and character goals and desires
makes for rich fiction. They want a novel to spend more time dealing with the
characters’ thoughts and dilemmas. They want the characters’ interests to drive
the story. In their experience, a deep knowledge of character provides a more
satisfying read. Without intimate knowledge of character, they can’t get
involved in the events happening to him. Connection with character gives
them a stronger connection to the story.

In a character-driven story, we are likely to find more inner debate, more

character angst, more opportunities for decision making, and fewer action
scenes. What the character thinks and feels is given more emphasis than what
he does. The character drives the story events.
He still acts and reacts, since action is one indicator of his thoughts and a key to
what he believes in. But plot is not the driver of his story. Events are secondary
to the character’s thoughts, emotions, and growth. Events are excuses for that
growth.

A story with emphasis on character growth can be richly satisfying since the
reader has many points with which he can identify, many possible connection
points with the character.

However, if the reader doesn’t like the main character and does not
connect with him, there is greater chance that reader also won’t enjoy
or finish the book. Readers can read just to see if a character they dislike gets
his comeuppance, yet that dislike doesn’t create the same emotional and
intellectual ties to character that a sympathetic character would create.

In addition to the chance of creating a lead character that readers don’t like or
won’t identify with, the writer whose emphasis is on character rather than plot
may write a novel without enough story.

That is, the major complaint of character-first stories is that the reader
finds them boring.

Of what interest is a novel in which nothing of consequence happens?

Plot First

Those who prefer an emphasis on plot enjoy more time spent with story events
and less emphasis on a character’s thoughts and motivations. They want action
and event, and find that these events are what propel the story. The focus is on
what’s happening and how characters are affected by events rather than the
way characters grow or how they direct events. The plot directs the
character.

Plot-first stories typically spend a greater amount of time outside the lead
character’s head.
Characters still have motivation and goals, but they may be nebulous or thin,
merely excuses for the character to delve into matters beyond his everyday
interests.

Stories with intricate or exciting plots keep the reader on the edge of his seat,
anxious to see how the lead character will solve the problem or get out of the
jam. Something’s always happening, and the forward momentum is obvious.
Less time is given to character contemplation or character growth, although
both may be part of the overall story.

Because of the emphasis on events and how they affect not only the main
character but anonymous others, character development may suffer.

A major complaint of plot-first novels? There may be a lot happening,

but who cares?

How does the reader care what happens to the characters when he
doesn’t know the characters?

Contrast

Fiction without fleshed-out characters takes on the feel of an action movie

peopled with robots—individual scenes may be exciting, but the reader is
removed from any emotion or involvement in the scene. When there is nothing
at stake for a character—or no character invested in the story—the reader also
has nothing invested. He cannot feel emotion for a character he doesn’t
know, one he doesn’t care about. And he can’t care about a character who isn’t
developed, who is merely a physical caricature without thoughts, dreams, goals,
and motivations.

We’ve all seen action movies that left us feeling empty. A lot might have been
going on, but without characters to get involved with, we couldn’t really care
what happened. Story requires memorable characters to engage the
reader (or viewer). And even though we accept non-human characters, it’s
those humans (or characters with human qualities) whose dilemmas tug at us.
It’s the writer’s responsibility to create connection points for the reader,
connections to tie reader to both character and to plot. Anchor the reader to the
whole of the story.

On the other hand, wonderfully developed characters rich in needs and inner
conflict  who do nothing are ultimately boring. Their motivations may be
complex and fascinating, but if the characters don’t interact with others and
their setting, they’re simply portraits painted with exceptional detail. Characters
don’t exist in a vacuum and live only in their heads. They need to be active,
involved with others, with setting, with the events happening around
them. And the more involved they are with others and those events—causing
events and  reacting to them—the more the reader will be drawn into the story.

Remember the children’s dress-up game that allowed a boy or girl to stick
characters on a board and dress them? The kids could put a girl in a raincoat
and stick raindrops on the background to show the weather conditions. If a
novel’s characters have as little true interaction with their setting and with other
characters as these toy characters did, the story can be just as thin as the tales
the children created with their game.

They were limited because the little plastic pieces couldn’t interact with anyone
else, could do little with their setting. But a writer can control the interplay
between characters and between character & setting and character & plot. And
that’s exactly what the writer needs to do.

__________________________________

Quick Overview

Character

Characters are the beings, the actors, of story. They can be human,
animal, mechanical, or any combination thereof. Readers typically search for a
character they can identify with to better relate to a story. Character answers
the question who.

Novels typically follow the lead character, the protagonist, through the story
events. This protagonist is acted on by other characters and events in the story
and acts on those other characters and events in turn. Something out of the
ordinary—an inciting event—moves the lead character from the status quo and
into the drama of the story. Something’s at stake for him, and the story
revolves around his actions to resolve the problem(s) he faces.

Critical to the story are the main character’s goals (what he

wants), motivation (why he’s going after what he wants),
and conflict (conflict with himself, others, their goals, or something in the
setting).

He is opposed and/or challenged by the antagonist, another character with

goals and motivations of his own. Their conflict is one of the major drivers of
the plot.

Main characters, both protagonist and antagonist, have friends who help them
achieve their goals and prevent their opponent from reaching his. Additional
characters can bring veracity to setting and create opportunities for even more
conflict.

Plot

Plot is the whole of the events of the story. This is the action (action
includes dialogue), the part of story that answers the question what happened.

Plot unfolds through scenes, through story events and dialogue. Plot events can
take place right in front of the reader or be related to him through flashback or
by exposition. Plot is concerned with events that happen to the main
characters and that have an impact on their decisions. Sub-plots can be
added for tension or to expand on the main story or to complicate it, but they
shouldn’t be given more emphasis than the main plot.
Alexandre Dumas' famous story, The Count of Monte Cristo, was a fictional story based on real
events. One of its characters, a mad-genius of a scientist who writes his greatest work in prison,
was based on a real person. Learn of the imprisonment of Déodat de Dolomieu.

Was Edmond Dantes a real person?

Pierre Picaud (French: [piko]) was a 19th-century shoemaker in Nîmes, France who
may have been the basis for the character of Edmond Dantès in Alexandre Dumas,
père's 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo. ... Picaud tricked Loupian's daughter into
marrying a criminal, whom he then had arrested.

What genre is The Count of Monte Cristo?

Historical Fiction
Adventure fiction
The Count of Monte Cristo/Genres

The many faces in the Count of Monte

Cristo...

Edmond Dantes (main dynamic character)- this young man goes from a
wealthy young man with a bright future to an incarcerated spy with no future
at all. Once escaped from his cell with the help of a crazy abbe, Edmond or now
the Count of Monte Cristo is out to wreak havoc on the guilty souls who ruined
his life. Not only does he start a new life free, but now he has millions
stored away on his personal island to fuel his vendetta! 

Mercedes(flat character)- Mercedes was the soon to be bride of Edmond

Dantes when he was whisked off to jail and was never seen from or heard from
again. Mercedes grief-stricken agreed to marry her cousin Fernand, who was
responsible for Edmond's fate. Years later she is a wealthy Comte in Paris living
with Fernand and Albert her son. Comfortable, but never happy. Then all of the
sudden a strange count saves her son from ruthless robbers in Rome, and
he reminds her of someone from long ago. 

Fernand Mondego (round character)- Fernand is the jealous cousin of

Mercedes, who plots to separate Edmond and Mercedes and marry Mercedes
himself. He implicates Edmond as a bonapartist spy by forging a fake letter.
While Edmond sits in jail, he marries Mercedes and moves to Paris after
receiving a hefty inheritance from his father. His secret was hidden for many
years before Edmond escaped and now unknowingly his secret is known by the
very man that could destroy him.

Monsieur Morrel (flat character)- Morrel is the owner of the trading company
and ship that Edmond Dantes was about to be captain of. He is very rich man
and a friend of Edmond. When Edmond went to jail, he constant efforts to get
Edmond out of jail made him suspect of being a bonapartist as well. His
reputation was ruined and many of his ships were lost at sea because there
was no acceptable captain to pilot them. His son Maximillian and daughter
Julie watch themselves sink farther into debt, until when Edmond discovers his
friend's misfortune, he sends them a diamond from a mysterious Sinbad the
sailor.
Abbe Faria (flat character)- The Abbe Faria is a prisoner at the Chateau d' If and
meets Edmond while tunneling in the wrong direction out of his cell. This
intelligent old abbe used to advise the Cardinal Spada and knows the location
of the famous treasure consisting of millions of Roman crowns. Abbe Faria and
Edmond plan to help each other escape by tunneling out of their prison cells.
The abbe acts as a mentor to Edmond and designates Edmond as the inheritor
of the all the riches when he becomes ill because of paralyzing seizures and
unable to escape the prison.

 Baron Danglars (flat character)- Danglars is shipmaster and jealous that

Edmond became captain instead of him. He plots with Fernand to put Edmond
in jail. After they succeed in incarcerating Edmond, Danglars becomes rich and
also moves to Paris growing old as a greedy man. However his greed will come
back to haunt him when Edmond seeks his revenge.

Caderousse (round character)- Caderousse is Edmond's next neighbor and a

sloppy drunk. While drunk he inadvertently conceives the plan that Danglars
and Fernand use to put Edmond away forever. He does not benefit from
Edmond being in jail and becomes a inn keeper, but once his wife is murdered
(by him) he becomes a beggar and occasional murderer.
Gerard de Villefort (dynamic character)- Villefort is the procueror de roi that
sentenced Edmond to life in prison to save his reputation. The letter that was
discovered on Edmond was addressed to another bonapartist, Monsieur
Nortier, his father! To hide his scandalous parent he burns the letter and puts
Edmond away forever to ensure that his secret is never brought to light.
However, Edmond (as the Count of Monte Cristo) sets out to dig all of his
secrets out of his past and show them to the world. Even discovering his
illegitimate son Benedetto.

Louis Dantes (flat character)- Louis Dantes is Edmond Dantes caring father that
lives with his son in Marseilles. However, when Edmond is arrested he is so
grief-stricken that he dies of starvation because no one cared to look after him
after Edmond left and was the primary reason Edmond sought revenge.

Maximillian Morrel (dynamic character)- Maximillian Morrel is the son of

Monsieur Morrel and falls in love with Valentine Villefort and becomes the
beneficiary of  Monte Cristo and receives help from the Count of Monte Cristo
in order to marry his one true love Valentine Villefort. The only problem is
Valentine is to be married to a rich man that Maximillian cannot hope to
compete with, but their love remains strong.
Valentine Villefort (dynamic character)- Valentine is the daughter of Gerard de
Villefort and is the beloved granddaughter of M. Nortier, who relies on her to
communicate because he is paralyzed accept for his eyes. She is supposed to
marry a rich man, but she falls in love with Maximilian Morrel and is conflicted
on whether to run away and leave her grandfather or stay and be forced to
marry a man she does not love. She is also very rich and is the inheritor of a
great fortune in the future.

Albert de Morcerf (round character)- Albert is the son of Mercedes and

Fernand. He meets the count of Monte Cristo at the Rome carnival. When he is
kidnapped by vicious thieves, the Count of Monte Cristo saves and in turn he
invites the Count to Paris which will ensue a number of events that leads the
Count closer to his goal.

Nortier (dynamic character)- Nortier is a French bonapartist and is despised by

his son. When he is paralyzed by a stroke he spends his time foiling his sons
plans and watching out for his beloved granddaughter Valentine.

Haydee (round character)- Haydee is a beautiful Greek servant that Edmond

saved from slavery and took care of her as she grew older. Her affection for
him turned from paternal to love. After a while Edmond begins to feel the
same for her, and they end of falling in love
Signor Bertuccio (flat character)- Bertuccio is the Count's loyal servant who
saved Villefort's son from death and tried to raise it with his sister as their own.
However, Benedetto grew up evil and killed Bertuccio's sister. Now Bertuccio
helps the Count of Monte Cristo while he takes his revenge.

Benedetto (dynamic character)- Benedetto was the son of Villefort, but

Villefort tried to commit infanticide and was unsuccessful as a failed
assassination attempt by Bertuccio interrupted him. Benedetto was raised by
Bertuccio and his sister. Benedetto grew up to be evil and killed his adopted
mother. He became and thief and evil tyrant. The Count of Monte Cristo paid
him to pretend he was the long lost son of M. Cavalcanti, Andrea Cavalcanti.
The Count used Benedetto in his plot for revenge.

Madame de Villefort (round character)- Madame de Villefort spoils her son

Edward and forgets her other daughter Valentine. Caring only for herself and
her beloved son Edward she steals and embezzles money in order to ensure
her wealth and status in Parisian society.
Madame Danglars (Flat character)- She is Danglar's unfaithful wife who
constantly has affairs with other wealthy men to a point that she almost
financially ruins her husband financially.

Eugénie Danglars (static character)-  The Danglars’ daughter. A brilliant

musician, Eugénie longs for her independence and despises men. On the
eve of her wedding, she flees for Italy with her true love, Louise d’Armilly.

Lucien Debray (round character)- Debray is a constant companion of Madame

Danglars with whom he is having an affair. He is also a French secretary that
gives Madame Danglars secret information so that she can wisely make
investments for the sake of her husband and personal gain.

Luigi Vampa (Dynamic character)- A famous thief that plagues the territory
around Italy killing and ransoming the heads of innocent people. He is a friend
of the Count of Monte Cristo because he is in debt to the Count for a favor that
was done for him many years before. He is at the Count's disposal for his
vengeful journey's. He also captures Albert while they are in Rome mistakenly.
Franz d’Epinay (static character)- Another good friend to Albert de Morcerf.
D’Epinay is the unwanted fiancé of Valentine Villefort.

Jacopo (flat character) -A smuggler who helps Dantès win his freedom. When
Jacopo proves his selfless loyalty, Dantès rewards him by buying the poor man
his own ship and crew