Tips for Writing Dialogue and Getting it Right

December 5, 2018May 13, 2021 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

Courtesy of Script Magazine & Google

From the Cow Pasture Archieves: Enjoy

Writing dialogue is one of the most challenging skills for writers to learn. Conversations dominate our lives on a day-to-day basis, but we rarely, if ever, focus on the tone, rhythm, or body language when engaged.

I like to people watch. The mall or similar venues are great places to hone this skill. Observing other’s interactions offers a treasure trove of different gestures, tones, words, body language, and action, to use in your stories.

Writing dialogue isn’t as easy as watching a conversation. In real life, we don’t have to worry about commas, speech tags, unclear antecedents, tone, or rhythm, or who is speaking. But, when writing, we must convey all of those aspects and more.

One of the stories in my upcoming short story collection is almost entirely dialogue. I have revisited that story a million times to ensure the conversation between the two men flow, sound natural, and is believable. That’s a rabbit hole best left for another discussion. Ultimately, readers will determine if I did my job well or not. For those of you who struggle, as I do, following are a few tips I’ve learned along the way and trust me, I’m not the expert.

Writing Dialogue:

Short sentences are best.
Use contractions unless your story dictates a more formal language or it is a characteristic of one of your characters.
Make it clear who is speaking.
Don’t overuse the characters names.
Keep dialogue tags simple as in: said, asked, replied, and answered. Using verbs like whispered, shouted, or stammered are permissible, but don’t over do it.
Don’t forget body language which often speaks louder than words.
Stay away from dialects unless you’re an expert in the dialect.
Characters shouldn’t sound like duplicates of each other. We all have our own distinctive manner of speaking; characters should too.
In real life, we often say, um, ah, or trail off in the middle of a sentence, but use sparingly, unless it’s reflective of a particular characters speech pattern.
Make sure the conversation has a purpose. In real life, we talk about topics that would never keep a reader’s interest. For example using coffee grounds to fertilize the soil of house plants. Unless discussing coffee grounds is significant to the story – like say, burying a murder instrument underneath the coffee grounds – I’d leave that conversation out of the story.

Speaking of observation, here is a look at one of my all time favorite scenes. Whoever wrote this dialogue, rich in words, body language, gestures, and action. It was magnificent. Enjoy.

Want more information on dialogue? Check out these resources:

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Join the conversation. Talk to me or tell me your story. I’m all ears.

Without Words

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

There are times in life when you find yourself thrust into circumstances that leave you … without words.

At this moment in my life, that is exactly where I find myself.

So, until I can manage to get my feet back under myself, I will be sharing a few oldie, but goodies from the Cow Pasture Chronicles Archives. I hope you will stay with me as I try to figure things out.

I hope to return with fresh posts and a whole world of new words, soon. Until then, thank you for being such wonderful readers and fence jumpers.

Hold your friends close and your family closer as you celebrate Christmas and may you have a wonderful New Year.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook Page at SheilaMcIntyreGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Happy Thanksgiving

November 21, 2018November 18, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

It seems as if a lot of ugly things have happened around the globe and especially here in the good old USA. Sometimes with all the strife and division it becomes harder to see the good things around us. Let us all take this Thanksgiving holiday to stop a moment and think of the good things happening both close to home and throughout our nation.

Make a list, say them aloud, or share them with someone, but for this moment, this season, if only for a while focus on the blessings God has brought your way.

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you and your loved ones. May we all enjoy more positivity, unity, and blessings in the coming year(s).

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.” Click to Tweet

W.T. Purkiser

VOTE!

November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 5 Comments

I’m thrilled with the accomplishments of this President. I’ve listed just a few of the more significant ones from the headlines.

Imagine what we can accomplished if we all pulled together for the good of the nation!

CNBC: Payrolls Smash Estimates with a Gain of 250,000. Wage Gains Pass 3% for First Time Since Recession.
Non-farm payrolls increased by 250,000 for October, well ahead of Refinitiv estimates of 190,000.
Average hourly earnings increased by 5 cents an hour for the month and 83 cents year-over-year, representing a 3.1 percent gain; the best pace since 2009.
The unemployment rate stayed at 3.7 percent, the lowest since December 1969.
CNBC: Wages and Salaries Jump by 3.1%, Highest Level in a Decade
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: U.S. Consumer Confidence Surged in October to 18-Year High
CNBC: Medicaid Enrollment Declines for the First Time in More Than a Decade as a Strong US Economy Boosts Income for Poor Americans.
BUSINESS INSIDER: US Economy Grows at Fastest Back-to-Back Pace in 4 Years, Boosted by Solid Consumer Spending.
(CNSNews.com) – Manufacturing jobs in the United States increased by 32,000 in October and have now increased by 434,000 during the presidency of Donald Trump, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Abracadabra!)
Conservative justices who interpret the Constitution as WRITTEN: including 2 Supreme Court Justices and more Federal judges than any other President appointed.
A President that signed into law The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018.
And a President that signed the Right to try legislation which gives terminally ill patients the right to use experimental medications that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.