/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.12143157]

I'm so bad at dialogue. It's all so stilted and expositionary, literally below fanfic-tier. I'm too ashamed to even post my work.

So any tips or resources on writing dialogue? Have a Tay in exchange.

[Anonymous No.12143183]

>>12143157
go to shittier bars with better people

[Anonymous No.12143189]

Post something, receive suggestions on how to make it better.

[Anonymous No.12143192]

>>12143157
Talk with actual people, OP. Like, not just with your nerd friends about literature, but go to bars/social events and talk with people about normie stuff. For character dialogue that might not come up in regular discussion (like for nobles or some shit) look at dialogue from other good writers.

[Anonymous No.12143204]

>>12143157
she's hot but i'd never want to sleep with her because I don't want to be the subject of her next album

[Anonymous No.12143224]

>>12143204
Anon, she's a lesbian

[Anonymous No.12143234]

>>12143157
I don't think you get better at dialogue by listening to people talk. People are terrible speakers, generally.

Look at dialogue you enjoy and write it out or type it out again. Get into the character, what supposedly made them say this or respond that way.

Some dialogues are less character and more flow. I had a friend whose screenplays I read out of curiosity, first was trash (his first, good job for finishing one), but his second had fucking great dialogue. Real banter, felt like friends talking.

[Anonymous No.12143241]

>>12143224
proof? also just because im a dude doesn't mean im not the most turbo-lesbian dude I love pussy

[Anonymous No.12143308]

>>12143224
>hangs out and lives together only with women
>only dates the faggiest dudes in Hollywood for several months
>almost 30, not married.

[Anonymous No.12143314]

>>12143241
http://kaylor-evidence.tumblr.com/post/119314973684/kaylor-masterpost-2013-2014-timeline

[Anonymous No.12143322]

>>12143157
Post your own dialogue (no-one here cares if you suck) and then dialogue from literature you think is good. And don't post dialogue from movies, fanfiction, or anime. Really take a good look at the differences between the good and the bad. Can you really claim that your dialogue is bad purely because it's "stilted" and "expository"? What makes good dialogue in your mind then? And what if the dialogue is supposed to be stilted, uncomfortable, or meandering like real life, i.e.>>12143234?

It'd be good for you to get a clearer picture on your own writing and why you think it really sucks. Also, are you writing sci-fi or fantasy? Sci-fi/Fantasy writers tend to have this problem of writing out long conversations of masturbatory exposition. But again, the problems go beyond "stilted" and "expository" .

[Anonymous No.12143332]

>>12143314
holy shit the autism in that page. who the fuck has the will to keep up on which skeletal country pussy is rubbing up on whom.

tay is white, and that's about it. she looks like any random kentucky farm girl who grew up cutting tobacco or shucking corn.

[Anonymous No.12143334]

>>12143157
"How often does dialogue in a book actually sound like how people talk?"
"Sometimes." she folded her hands under her chin, "Usually it sounds a little too practiced or rehearsed, like somebody reading from a speech they'd written."
"Exactly!" he exclaimed, "A character talks on and on, sometimes for pages, and all the reactions from his audience are inferred by his speech, like it'll be three sentences into a paragraph and the character says, 'No, don't bother protesting, I can tell by your face you disagree, you always furrow your brow when you're about to say something...' or whatever."
"Still, it can be hard to make speaking sound organic and natural, even in movies or TV characters always sound like a voice in somebody's head instead of real people."
"Which is why they give awards to people who do these things really well," he sat back in his chair, cocked his head and extended his hand towards her.
"No," she shook her head quickly and looked down at the table while busying her hands with her teacup, "the Leithart isn't awarded for prose per se, it involves contributions to theological discussions, breaking new ground, as I'm sure most literary honors do." She raised the cup to her lips and peered at him over the rim.
He fidgeted in his chair, "She's so unbelievably refined, always in control," he thought. He'd never seen her lose her composure, become upset or even betray her boredom with a yawn or disinterested remarks. "So it's the content over the form? Is that what you mean?"
She smiled and set her cup upon the saucer, her eyes rested on his own, "You're the philosopher, right? You know Hegel, thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Harmony, balance, specialization." She leaned forward, her hands in her lap, "Sometimes it helps to take things seriously, to be committed to something, a cause, a feeling, another person. People admire conviction, a sense of responsibility, duty. It isn't always important what the cause is, things come in and out of fashion," she waved her hand distractedly and glanced around the room. "This good dialogue you're worried about, it needs to come from a specific voice within you, how you,"-the "You," was emphasized-"how you hear things. Subjectivity isn't just another rudimentary vocabulary word, it represents an individual heart and soul. If you're dissatisfied with your character's words try to look at what emotions within you put those words in their mouths." Her eyes were kind and her voice soft.
He stared at her, his fingers mindlessly picked at hangnails. "Would you like some more tea?" She asked.
He looked down at his lap and placed his hands on the arms of the chair. "No, thank you very much, I should probably be going."

[Anonymous No.12143339]

>>12143334
hmm.. personally i think you have too many action sentences (e.g. character cocking their head)

[Anonymous No.12143343]

>>12143339
let me add - other than that, i thought it was *really* good. much better than most user written stuff posted here lol

[Anonymous No.12143374]

Like my prof used to put it:

non native English speaker irl and in writing/native English speaker in writing
>Hello, dear friend! Might you find the time to join me in a bit of drinking, dancing, maybe even convincing a few young ladies to join us on the ride home?

native English speaker irl
>ey nig wanna git shitfaced 'n fuck sum thots ayyy

[Anonymous No.12143470]

>>12143332
really? I'm moving to kentucky from europe then.

[Anonymous No.12143473]

>>12143157
Read banters from good novels, Andrzej Spakowski's witcher had good dialogue to begin with.

[Anonymous No.12143474]

>>12143332
damn Kentucky here I come

[Anonymous No.12143935]

>>12143334
write like people actually fucking talk

[Anonymous No.12143942]

>>12143935
>current year
>realism

[Anonymous No.12143950]

>>12143157
Of course you are, you like Taylor Swift.

[Anonymous No.12144444]

>>12143332
Nah shes leggy blonde

[Anonymous No.12144471]

Consider why you're writing dialogue. What thoughts do you want these people to convey? Why do they want these thoughts out in the open? How might they themselves make their thoughts known?

[Anonymous No.12144477]

>>12144444
shameful get

[Anonymous No.12144535]

>>12143314
>>12143332
thats some high quality autism. i was reading the post trying to find the line between good/best friend you are affectionate with and girlfriend/fling but it was actually hard to locate the difference. even nothing sexual happened there is more going on than platonic friendship

[Anonymous No.12144761]

>>12143192
>talk with people about normie stuff
How do?

[Anonymous No.12145213]

>>12143334
why don't you post this kinda shit in crit threads. I was too lazy to get past the first paragraph but that shit's good! It's fucking readable! Why do I have to slog through garbage instead of reading good shit like what you write

[Anonymous No.12145926]

Don't be a pussy, post a sample.
We need to know what it looks like to help.

[Anonymous No.12146316]

>>12143157
Situation // Scene.

Generally speaking....

You need a section devoted to elucidating the situation. Then you need the scene to change that situation in some radical way. So to make the dialogue "pop" it needs to be well selected. Don't waste time on useless, non-functional chit-chat. That can just be summarized. Just focus on critical dialogue, the kind that radically changes the situation. Now I'm talking about DRAMATIC scenes, not PICTORIAL scenes (which are the type you find in James Joyce), which can be dramatized of course, but not in the sense that we could ever put those scenes up at a theatre without boring people to death.

If you don't do this, the reader will lose interest. So keep things tight. Always be sure you have a tight hold over the scene, and that every exchange does something.

[Anonymous No.12146615]

>>12143157
You don't have to talk to people, sometimes it's better just to sit somewhere crowded and listen. There's nothing more natural than someone else existing without interference.

[Anonymous No.12146784]

>>12143339
I agree with this.If you constantly mention the actions of your characters it makes it seem as though they aren't doing anything with their bodies unless you specifically mention it. It kind of brings to mind an image of two characters having a conversation but when one is speaking the other just kind of shuts down like a robot. like when your male character fidgets in his chair it seems as though this action only takes place after she's done speaking which is weird.

[Anonymous No.12146798]

Dialogue is overrated. I mean fuck, I enjoy Salinger and all but it’s not a big deal if it’s not great as long as you’re working in interesting territory.

See:Phillip K Dick