Has there been a discussion about dialogue for a while? I can't recall one, and I find I'm splurging a little on the subject on someone's chapter and she's going to think I'm tearing it to bits when I don't mean to, it's just that I've got nowhere else to put the thoughts down.

Anyway, I made the comment that, especially in childrens books, the ratio of dialogue to prose seems to be closer to 40:60 or even as high as 30:70 in the 'classics', especially chopping up large chunks of dialogue with prose to keep the pace going - since when someone is talking the reader has to stop and listen alsong with the character.

Secondly that 'Um's and 'Aw's, and mention of everyday things in dialogue tend to pause the story. Which is fine if you want a pause, maybe to get the reader to concentrate on what is being said - the subtext - but less useful if it's an action chapter.

And thirdly, using dialogue as stage directions to get characters from A to B, tends to be boring for the reader. eg. 'get in the car', 'hurry up or we'll be late'. especially where there is a lot of other dialogue already in the scene which is far more interesting.

Anyway, just thought I'd mention it, I'm sure other people have their own views on the subject.


- NaomiM

Splurging is a great word...and yes, I did begin to feel like you might be having a bad day after 6 comments on 2 chapters, but no harm done

Anyway, I'm no expert and struggle to believe that there is such a thing where creativity is concerned, though I don't apply that to other areas such as marketing.

I personally love a book if the story is gripping, whether it's dialogue heavy or has hardly any speech at all.

I'm no writer (not until I get my first rejection anyway, apparently) but I have painted and sold a lot of artwork..
I did start an Art & Design degree course once, but all I got from it was a sense of being boxed into rules which I thought was ridiculous, so I quit..and, though I don't doubt that there are some really good ones out there, I would run a mile from a creative writing course for the same reasons.

Creativity is like Fight Club x

Yes, my apologies, Marla, not so much a 'bad' day as a 'gosh, this is interesting, I'd never thought of it like that' sort of day, and I have you to thank for it.

And yes, it is so easy to slip into the 'this a a set of rules to write by' sort of thread, and it's not. Neither is it a getting down to the nitty gritty of technique such as 'dialogue tags', which have been done to death in recent months.
I'm hoping it'll be a 'what are the elements of dialogue?', sort of thread, so when I write a chunk I can look at it and think, yes, that's fine, or, no, I need to change that into something else because I'm pausing when I should be pushing on.


- NaomiM

<Added>

Maybe elements is the wrong word, and it should be uses of dialogue.

<Added>

Or even, Elements that make up a large chunk of dialogue - I'm sure there's a proper CWC term for it.

I thought of another element of dialogue: explaining something before the characters go off and do/see it - which can take away the element of surprise, since you've told the reader where they are going and what will be awaiting them, but can be a useful vehicle to input an element of surprise when they don't actually get there.