A little more from the IOWA course.
Good dialogue reveals the character's voice
It advances the plot without being obvious.
Dialogue needs to be natural, but not realistic.
Dialogue can be basic, while the narrative is complex.
It can convey emotional and psychological information - through the way words are chosen and the tone.
How to achieve it-
Listen to conversations and note how many times' er, um, yeah' is used. This would annoy a reader.
Avoid too much dialect.
Don't overuse punctuation.
Read your dialogue aloud- or get someone else to read it to you.
Sometimes what is not said it as effective as what is.
Do not use dialogue to info dump.
Do not let your character explain the use or presence of something they would see as normal or everyday. Find another way to convey this information.
A huge amount of our dialogue is conveyed through body language, add it rather than a dialogue tag.
'You are completely mad.' He backed up against the wall, his hands raised in front of his face.
'You are completely mad.' She threw herself into his arms and kissed him.
Avoid dialogue tags. If in doubt use said and asked - they are more invisible to the reader.
My blog will be sparse over the next week as I am going to Italy for work and pleasure.
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