What in your opinion is the preferred method to interject dialogue sequences in between narration/prose to not lose reader interest? Every 2 pages, 5 pages, 10 pages?
Between narration and dialogue.
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The only reason I'm not saying this is the stupid dumbest question I've seen is because here the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked, but you are really pushing the boundaries, friend.
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Ummmm...
Every ten paragraphs. Then at least one page dialogue.
Or count words. Every 1256 words of narration, then 678 words of dialogue.
Count carefully as this answer is very exact.
Every ten paragraphs. Then at least one page dialogue.
Or count words. Every 1256 words of narration, then 678 words of dialogue.
Count carefully as this answer is very exact.
There is no method. You write dialogue when the characters talk. You don't write dialogue if they don't talk.
That's really all there is to it.
If you're writing dialogue when your characters aren't speaking to one another, that's problematic.
That's really all there is to it.
If you're writing dialogue when your characters aren't speaking to one another, that's problematic.
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As a more serious reply, I actually write the dialogs first as they play out in my head with just brief 'stage notes' stuck in. Then I go back and fill in the rest.
As a reader, I like dialog (as long as I can keep up with who is saying what). I routinely nod off during the long strings of paragraphs. I'm thinking that must be where they put all that boring narration prosey stuff that you mention?
It depends on how much your characters talk, and how much other stuff there is to narrate. My book is very, very heavy on the dialogue. My characters don't shut up. Other books have almost no dialogue. And that's just fine.
What I find I do/works for me is that my first draft, well, my first draft is crap. But I write it anyway, and it tends to be [Big chunk of descriptions] followed by [Big chunk of talking heads] followed by [more descriptions], without much narration. On my second draft, I try to *integrate* the parts into a more continuous whole, so that instead of, say, describing the breakfast and then giving the breakfast conversation, I describe the characters eating breakfast and talking at the same time.
But as has been pointed out, sometimes your characters just aren't talking, and then you don't write any dialogue. And that's fine, too.
What I find I do/works for me is that my first draft, well, my first draft is crap. But I write it anyway, and it tends to be [Big chunk of descriptions] followed by [Big chunk of talking heads] followed by [more descriptions], without much narration. On my second draft, I try to *integrate* the parts into a more continuous whole, so that instead of, say, describing the breakfast and then giving the breakfast conversation, I describe the characters eating breakfast and talking at the same time.
But as has been pointed out, sometimes your characters just aren't talking, and then you don't write any dialogue. And that's fine, too.
A lot of authors manage to hold their readers' interest even when they're not writing dialogue.
Just wondering, what kind of stuff do you tend to read, and who are some of the authors whose books you admire?
If a character has something meaningful to say, I write it. If he has nothing meaningful to say, he keeps his mouth shut. I don't worry about when, how much, or how often.
Characters are people, and I have them talk when and where a real person would. I simply limit what they say to story and character development.
Characters are people, and I have them talk when and where a real person would. I simply limit what they say to story and character development.
Yeah, I have always believed that the story itself depends on whether or not to interject dialogue. That is the approach I have taken so far. Still, I was just simply wondering if best selling authors have their own formulas as to how they keep their fans interested without boring them with too much of either of the two.
As a reader, I like more narration/prose than multiple pages of characters in a room plainly talking to each other in bland conversation. In my own writing, I usually interject dialogue in tense social situations or use it as buildup when an action scene is about to take place.
As a reader, I like more narration/prose than multiple pages of characters in a room plainly talking to each other in bland conversation. In my own writing, I usually interject dialogue in tense social situations or use it as buildup when an action scene is about to take place.
Depends on a few other things as well. For instance, middle grade can have a lot more dialogue than an adult story.
This is complex, so read carefully.
On the second page after the fifth, seventh and eighth pages you need to have a page of solid dialogue. Then you do five pages of scene, two pages of dialogue, one page of scene and five pages of dialogue, then ten pages of scene and one page of dialogue, then on the second page after the eighth page after you are going to alternate lines of scene with lines of dialogue. Just have your charachters think out loud if necessary or randomly put paragraphs into quotation marks. Trees, animals and rocks can talk if your characters aren't available.
Seriously...have dialogue where the story calls for it. Interspersed with narrative.
Wow, Kate you just saved my life! I'll go back and re-edit to the proper formula.
Star, dialog is inserted when characters need to talk. If the dialog sounds like it could be boring leave it out.
Example of Dialog:
"Good morning, Kim," Colonel said.
"Oh, hello, Sam. Didn't expect to see you here. How's work been?"
"Everyone's been ecstatic that Jack and Govinetto made it back alive."
"Rose called me this morning and told me. Do you know how they escaped the prison camp?"
Colonel shook his head. "Not yet. So what about the hospital, how are things going on there?"
"The E.R. reopened this morning. The shooting was terrifying."
"At least not many people were harmed."
"True."
"Well, I got to get going. I still have a new toaster to locate."
"Okay, see you later, Sam."
"Bye, Kim."
In the above dialog nothing constitutes my story or has helped move it forwards. How my characters Govinetto and Jack escaped a prison camp still hasn't been answered so why bother mentioning it? My readers already know of the shooting at the emergency room so this is boring and unimportant. The greetings and goodbyes sound terrible, so why not take it all out and replace it with narration:
Example of Narration:
The adults greeted each other and both took turns asking how the other was doing. Then, eager to get his errands done, Colonel said goodbye and both he and Jade headed to the next shop for the next item on the list.
This is so much shorter and even if it sounds boring it's concise enough a reader will hold through until I link-up with the next important scene. It doesn't sound terrible (or as terrible) as the dialog.
If it's important or helps guide a story along include it. If it does nothing but fill space, repeat past events, and bore the reader remove it and replace it with narration.
@Quentin Nokov: I don't have dialogue for some of the supporting characters. But I use narration to depict them speaking. For instance, several of my characters speak with heavy accents. It just feels odd for me to write out their speaking parts.
I would just rather have the reader already understand that they speak with an accent, so that when the narration indicates a verbal exchange its left up to the reader's imagination on how the character sounds like. Besides, I have more than enough spoken dialogue for my main characters and other supporting characters as is.
I would just rather have the reader already understand that they speak with an accent, so that when the narration indicates a verbal exchange its left up to the reader's imagination on how the character sounds like. Besides, I have more than enough spoken dialogue for my main characters and other supporting characters as is.
If you mean you avoid phonetics, fine, but unless I am misreading your post you seem to be clinically rationing/allocating dialogue instead of allowing it to be spoken only by those characters who have something to say.
Dialogue brings life to characters.
Quentin's illustration showed a situation where his choice was to summarise.
Dialogue brings life to characters.
Quentin's illustration showed a situation where his choice was to summarise.
Even in movies there are speaking roles and non-speaking rolls. If you have supporting characters that never speak and use narrative to show they are not mute, I think there is a problem then on why they are there...
If you are not good with accents, there are ways around it through a dialogue tag. (he said in what Tom assumed to be a heavy Scottish accent.) You would use that tag once and afterwards the readers understand every time that character speaks its with a accent of some sort.
My issue with narrative is when a known character goes on paragraph after paragraph thinking about or reporting a conversation they had with someone who does not have a speaking role. If its that important, then give them a speaking role so I don't have to read a report...
I think you can get by with this on occasion. Some character roles are simply not important enough to hand them dialogue. Sometimes narrative can handle it, as in A thick set man with blue eyes and a heavy German accent gave me/him directions to the hotel
This is fine. But characters speak with whatever accent you give them, an no matter how heavy the accent, it should still be more hinted at than overly written. A little bit of any accent goes a long, long way. If it works better for the character to speak, then let him speak.
Honestly I would be a descent if I could use a formula, but writing isn't a theory. It is a craft.
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