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This blog is a question for authors and readers alike to answer. Are dialogue heavy stories okay in your eyes if they're written properly? Or does the heavy amount of dialogue ruin the story? I'm asking this because the story i'm in the process of writing is very dialogue intensive in the early parts of the story and I had someone read the beginning of said story and they said there was too much dialogue but they also pointed out that the dialogue in itself was very well written and it just needed some more besides the dialogue. I hadn't really thought about this much until it was pointed out to me but it does make for an interesting topic of discussion.
Comments
could you break up the dialog with something else?
have some dialog, then maybe the characters do something, then they resume the conversation?
Dialog is fine
Actually, dialog helps to break up the page nicely, and you get what the characters think in their own words.
The alternative is to write massive blocks of text which can be very wearing to decipher. A mixture of dialog and description is about the best balance to keep the reader's interest and move the plot along.
Penny
Re: Dialogue is fine
An alternative is to insert action paragraphs or sentences here and there, such as:
'Robert paced back and forth across the room as he thought about what Andrea had said to him a few minutes earlier.'
As Penny said, adding in bits of description here and there works nicely. Just keep the paragraphs moderate in size. She is quite correct in saying that very long paragraphs/blocks of text will make it hard for the reader to keep up with what is happening in the story.
As long as two or more people are talking...
I've read stories that were literally just monologues. Stories that were just dialogues.
The biggest thing is readability, giant monolithic blocks of texts don't work, and be sure to keep clear who is talking. (after switching speakers a few times it's easy to get lost.
Hmmm...
I try to use both dialog and explanation when I'm writing. Dialog is best for getting to know a character as a person, their quirks and foibles. Snappy dialog can make for humor and a certain lightness when discussing a heavy subject. It can be tricky keeping straight just who is speaking, so you need to use names here and there or some version of 'he said' to keep track. Note - don't overuse the word 'said', there are lots of things like 'remarked' 'opined' and such to break things up
Explanation works well in first person stories when the narrator can't know something outside their experience. Of course there are story lines that lend themselves to third person (all seeing narrator) treatment. It really depends on the story you're telling and how you want to tell it.
Waiting for Godot...
Waiting for Godot...
...has had a good run.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Dialogue is fine
As long as the writer is careful to make it clear who has the ball.
I would add some of -"what
I would add some of -"what they are doing while talking" in the plot
driving, getting in and out of cars, walking in a mall while talking and yet using mental thoughts to compare what is said to what is seen
'we talked for several minutes, but when we came upon the theaters entrance..it was time for me to get serious about us' then he or she talks
Proud member of the Whateley Academy Drow clan/collective
When writing dialogue, I try
When writing dialogue, I try to keep the following in mind...
1) Does the dialogue advance the story?
2) Is it a natural action for the characters?
3) Is it a natural situation for the scene?
- vessica b
Dialog
Adding my 2 cents, for what it's worth. My stories are more dialog than story, but I find I'm able to keep my characters involved that way. It imparts more emotion in my story. The negative is, each of my chapters have less words, 1500 rather than 3000, telling the same tale. It all depends on how well it's done, and you do it very well. Don't change.
Hugs, Karen
When I write...
I usually try to convey as much of the story as I can in dialog. This gives plenty of white space because of the convention of a new paragraph when speakers change. There are plenty of times when that just doesn't work, or information needs to be passed from one character to another that's already been said, so repeating it would be tedious. In that instance I simply say that the character repeated what was said, giving a reference that will identify the information.
Add to that the need to move the action from one point to another, then narration fills in that activity. Again there are times when a character is alone and lacking them talking to themselves or the story climbs into their mind so that the narration takes the form of thoughts of the character, narration is needed to advance the story.
So, I guess what I'm saying is, it's impossible to successfully tell a story with dialog only and narration only is a drag. I rather see a story heavy on dialog then heave on narration.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Dialogue
I'm lucky in that I have several people I know and meet with regularly. They are reading my books and some while ago I asked them that question and the large majority said they preferred books with dialogue. I asked them why and had a mixture of responses; 'It helps me become involved with the book and identify with the characters.' 'I sometimes talk to myself and join the conversation.' 'It helps to break up the page.' and so on. But the consensus was yes they like dialogue.
They did say other things which were related to my style and sense of humour which were very encouraging but I won't quote them, they cloud the issue and don't really help to answer your question. The other advice and comments on this page are sound as well.
There is one point though, using dialogue a lot lead me to watching people as they speak, I found the pub was the best place to do this. I would sit on my own and watch the animation of the speakers and their physical reactions to each other and what was being said and this reinforces the comments here about interspersing dialogue with a little prose about what else was happening around them or perhaps the physical actions of both speaker and listener. Taking a gulp from his beer, opening her handbag and searching for a tissue, even scratching his bum thoughtfully, if you want to add a light touch of humour.
Frances
Just Wanted to Mention...
...one caution. When using dialogue for exposition, avoid having characters tell each other things they already know, just to inform the readers.
(Early (pre-1940) magazine science fiction stories were notorious for doing that, since it was the easiest way to work the science into the story, and writers working for a penny a word or thereabouts didn't want to take extra time to refine things when they could be using it to write and hopefully sell something else.)
Eric
Horses for courses
Personally I really dislike dialogue heavy stories but there is no right and wrong here. Some people love them, some hate them. If your reviewer doesn’t like it, get another reviewer. It’s how you feel about it that’s important.
You wouldn’t ask someone who hates romance to review the romance you’re writing.
This is all pretty subjective.
For example, a legal document is often one paragraph that stretches over the whole document. It could also be just one sentence. Punctuation makes the contents open to question.
No one in their right mind would write a fiction story like that.
OTOH, there are theatre scripts and film screenplays.
These are filled with dialogue but have character direction. Unless there is a narrator, it is left to the characters to set the context of the play/film.
The film, 'The lady in the Van', originated from a short story which begat a play which begat a film. The idea is simple. Crazy old lady parks van in playrights front garden. I thought the play far funnier than the film but that is just me I expect.
I try to mix things up a bit. For example
“How did we do today?” asked the older man, Joe
His son, John looked up from counting the cash from their usual Saturday market stall where they sold eggs that came from their smallholding.
“About a hundred down on last month,” replied John with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“That’s two weeks in a row. Any ideas why?”
John knew the answer bit his father might not appreciate the answer. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to tell him.
This is the start of a story called 'the busker' that I will post here in a week or two. There is both dialogue and description.
Samantha
You should throw in some
You should throw in some direction or action lines to separate the dialogue.
After that, if the words move the story forward then be as wordy as your characters need to be.
(Its never stopped me and mine are chatterboxes)
I've actually written several of these
Pure stories that are all dialog and no description, not even speech tags.
See:
The Vengeance of Dr. Rhino
Only a Game
Deadpan
Deadpan, Again
We Who Are about to Lunch
It only works for shorter stories, about 1500 words seems to be near a practical limit. You have to make all the characters sound different and it works best with only two characters having a literal dialog. Basically, it's a stunt, like writing a story in second person or all in present tense.
I have fun with it when I have an idea that lends itself to the gimmick.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.