#valdayaforeva

I’m going to start off with the dialogue bit because I have a lot to say on that topic. 

If you have something already written that seems unrealistic, try to pinpoint what feels off. Too little emotion? Unnatural feel? If you are just generally unhappy with what was written, just delete it and start over. Take a break from word processor and take a moment to really think about what you are trying to accomplish with the dialogue. If you can’t think of a reason, the dialogue might be unnecessary. 

Now, I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to writing dialogue, but they boil down to this:

Over-use of names

Over-use of dialogue tags (e.g. s/he said, yelled, bellowed, etc.)

Characters having the same manner of speech

Rambling 

I think the first point is fairly obvious. In a real life conversation you would rarely call someone by their name unless you were trying to get their attention. You already have the other person’s attention, that’s why a conversation is happening. It sounds unnatural and can be annoying from the reader’s perspective. It’s like when you say a word enough times and it stops sounding like a word. 

I’d like to use that as a segue into talking about the over-use of dialogue tags. It’s in the same boat as the over-use of names, but unnatural in a different sense. When you write “said” or “cried” or whathaveyou after every piece of dialogue, it breaks up the natural flow of the speech. You are taking the reader out of the moment and making them watch from the sidelines, if that makes sense. Now, I’m not saying take the dialogue tags out of every line, because they can be a rich tool for expressing the emotions of your characters, but when writing long discussions and arguments it might be best to only include them when there is an abrupt change in mood or tone. 

Characters with the same speaking patterns. This is harder to avoid because you are just one person providing the voices for many characters. My best piece of advice for this is to read a play. Any play. Look at how the playwright changes tone with each character. If it helps you, make a list/chart/spreadsheet of verbal habits each character might have. Maybe one of them speaks with a stutter or uses multi syllable words in order to make themselves sound smarter.

Now last but not least, rambling. My best friend is named Charlie (bear with me, I’m going somewhere with this). He’s an actor, and like most actors, he is an attention hungry fiend. When we have conversations he tends to go off on tangents which can go on for eons if not nipped in the bud. When we met for the first time back in freshman year, he talked at me about theater for almost an hour. When writing dialogue, don’t allow the characters to go off on tangents. That’s what narration is for. Making dialogue realistic goes hand in hand with making dialogue entertaining and meaningful.

Introducing new characters is not as daunting as it sounds. My first piece of advice: show don’t tell. You’ve probably heard it a million and a half times but trust me, it will be your best friend. Use a lot of description when introducing your main character or others. Really tap into the emotion you want your babies characters to feel. You specified new characters, so I’m going to assume that you aren’t talking about introducing your MC into the story and focus on meeting others. 

When meeting new characters, try to describe the emotional reaction your MC has to the new person. Maybe your MC is an old man who grits his teeth when he is first introduced to his new neighbor’s toddler, resenting not moving in with his 

Situationally, meeting a new character should be similar to introducing your main. Think of something that will suit the personality of the character as well as being exciting for the reader. Show some action! Make it a fight scene (Selina’s introduction from the Dark Knight Rises is a good example of this).