Syz the Frizz

I think to myself

Today I want to talk about a subtle but in my opinion very powerful element of writing dialogue that when used well can take your writing to the next level, especially in emotional scenes.

This element is dynamics. I call it that because I have a background in music, but another way to think about it is the use of value in a piece of visual art. Darks and lights and everything in between.

I'm talking about the volume that the characters are speaking at.

I love Brandon Sanderson's books, but one of my critiques of his writing style is that he keeps having characters whisper when they would realistically need to speak louder than that to be heard, and he says that they're screaming when they're probably just shouting. Dialogue tags that indicate volume have a wide range, and as a fellow writer I urge you to use it with intention.

Why is paying attention to the "dynamics" of your dialogue useful?

Using volume improperly can break your reader's immersion (sorry Mr. Sando, but this does apply to you)

You can communicate and fine-tune the emotional dynamics of the scene in greater detail

You can emphasize certain pieces of dialogue more effectively when you're intentional about when you're using your strongest volumes

It can serve as another method of showing rather than telling

It's fun!!

If you want some homework to do, list out the dialogue tags you use to indicate volume from quietest to loudest for yourself. My version goes something like:

(I also added the music volumes in there for fun)

Quietest

[character] said, voice barely a whisper. (ppp)

[character] whispered. (pp)

[character] murmured/mumbled. (p)

[character] said softly/quietly/in a low voice. (mp)

[character] said/asked/etc. (mf)

[character] said sharply/excitedly/other bold emotions. (mf/f)

[character] cried/exclaimed. (f)

[character] shouted/yelled. (ff)

[character] roared. (fff)

[character] screamed. (ffff)

Loudest

I didn't list every dialogue tag possible, and there can be subtle differences between some that I grouped together, but these are the bigger categories in my brain for the ones that I commonly use.

And if you want some rules, here are some makeshift ones I came up with:

Use the loudest and the quietest volumes as sparingly as you can. That way, when it comes time to let your characters scream at the top of their lungs or barely make themselves audible, the reader will really take notice.

Pay attention to how the emotion is building in your scene and adjust the volume accordingly, little by little.

Changing the volume, even if it's just by a little, has more impact than you think. It's like [insert concept in real life where a little goes a long way]. Your favorite blorbo doesn't need to go from a whisper to a scream to shake the reader awake. Having a character suddenly exclaim something when they were talking normally before does it just as well.

Finally, if you want to think more about this, try listening to your favorite music (or something like classical music if you want to prove how cool you are) and pay specific attention to the changes in volume. Consider how the artist/composer uses those changes to tell their story. You could maybe even think about how that story/the emotions in it might change if the dynamics were different.

I go to concerts having heard maybe 2 songs from the artist before and I refuse to look at the setlist beforehand because I'm afraid that if I know what's coming then the concert won't be "exciting" anymore. Then I stand there wishing I knew the words to the songs so I could scream them with the rest of the crowd, and then after the concert I become obsessed with the artist and I can't believe that I saw all of my new favorite songs performed live but I didn't appreciate it because I didn't know them at the time. Then I repeat the process with the next concert.