tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post5900920319692086960..comments2023-12-11T20:04:16.370-08:00Comments on Allie's Musings: Writers' Wednesday: Working With DialogueAllie Bonifacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17334745422433097012noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-28888360112785025602007-05-02T22:24:00.000-07:002007-05-02T22:24:00.000-07:00How about "not using too much dialect"? I find man...How about "not using too much dialect"? I find many authors doing that and the result? I can't even comprehend what they're writing.<BR/><BR/><BR/>AniczAniczhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15472601581054953206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-4301651556500237532007-05-02T22:19:00.000-07:002007-05-02T22:19:00.000-07:00But when do you know when to stop the dialogue par...But when do you know when to stop the dialogue part and start with the narrative?marylinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15632201286184933622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-64755028359326939982007-05-02T22:17:00.000-07:002007-05-02T22:17:00.000-07:00I've heard you gotta use contractionsand keep attr...I've heard you gotta use contractions<BR/>and keep attributions to a minimum to improve dialogue.sherlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11034469035112748617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-22161300386284451142007-05-02T20:46:00.000-07:002007-05-02T20:46:00.000-07:00You forgot one of my peeves.Sighing speech. A cha...You forgot one of my peeves.<BR/><BR/>Sighing speech. A character can sigh. But they rarely do it at the same time they are speaking... (try it--it's very difficult to get to the words out at all!)Gayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09308862059975983327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-45931779534827830972007-05-02T12:29:00.000-07:002007-05-02T12:29:00.000-07:00Great post! It drives me batty when writers use na...Great post! It drives me batty when writers use names within dialogue all the time. I've definitely gotten a lot out of this. Thanks!!Ceri Heberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17584297798290334430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-57852573118285514822007-05-02T09:20:00.000-07:002007-05-02T09:20:00.000-07:00I followed a link from Marianne's blog. Writing d...I followed a link from Marianne's blog. Writing dialogue can always be a challenge. I really liked the final version of the duke's line. He really sounded like a guy. I have a probably with my heroes sounding ike girly men. It was great how you had all his emotion, thought, feeling summed up in that one sentance!Melissa McClonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16715664439441831529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-72790320453124343202007-05-02T08:39:00.000-07:002007-05-02T08:39:00.000-07:00guilty of #5 here. do we really need to that? I fi...guilty of #5 here. do we really need to that? I find it weird to read my dialogues aloud. But gez, have to change now.En-zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07694230399814860135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-29708385365107032142007-05-02T08:35:00.000-07:002007-05-02T08:35:00.000-07:00I have another question, when do you know where to...I have another question, when do you know where to put the punctuation mark in a sentence in quotation marks?<BR/><BR/>...sentence."<BR/><BR/>or <BR/><BR/>...sentence".<BR/><BR/>when do you know it goes after or before the quotation mark?franzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14098826256108833571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-38083748971478613702007-05-02T08:31:00.000-07:002007-05-02T08:31:00.000-07:00i don't really like reading dialogues but since yo...i don't really like reading dialogues but since you said so, i'd probably try. Gracias for the tips!Dylanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17178899253537487260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-18307872054189237722007-05-02T08:27:00.000-07:002007-05-02T08:27:00.000-07:00wow, this is interesting, Allie! I do get irritate...wow, this is interesting, Allie! I do get irritated when the writer uses a lot of tags. Good point Carolan. I like it when speakers seem real like in "Abiding Darkness" by John Aubrey Anderson.Atomic Kittenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17206543813402291515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-36560689525357080962007-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:002007-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:00This is nice to know Allie..thanks for another gre...This is nice to know Allie..thanks for another great post!Leif D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11713178745657431656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-3060352939212178172007-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:002007-05-02T08:07:00.000-07:00wow, this is really fun to know. I didn't even kno...wow, this is really fun to know. I didn't even know about number 5 and when I come to think about it, "yea, it probably works!"g.i. georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12477411915131011739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-26850504215132083242007-05-02T07:52:00.000-07:002007-05-02T07:52:00.000-07:00Yes to all that! I read a lot of stuff on crit si...Yes to all that! I read a lot of stuff on crit sites that could stand to apply #1 and #4, and drop some adverbs, too.<BR/><BR/>The trick to getting #5 right is developing a good ear for how people talk IRL. Reading aloud is great, but that doesn't always keep one from falling in love with their own words, resulting in grand speeches where none are called for. I think most of us have been guilty of that at one time or another.<BR/><BR/>Real life conversations can be repetitive, full of fragments, and as you point out, full of hemming and hawing. I've found I can go back to most first-draft conversations and cut them by anywhere from a third to a half just by eliminating anything repitition and words like, "oh," "yeah," or "well." It isn't that these things aren't realistic, because they are. But for the reader, you gotta trim some of it, otherwise you bog down the story.<BR/><BR/>Above all else, though, a writer must devlop a good ear. <BR/><BR/>If your only experience with English was from what you had learned in a classroom, what would you notice about the conversations taking place around the office water cooler or in a shopping mall? Write how people really talk. Then go back and strip out the superfluous stuff. What's left won't always be elegant, but it'll be real.Ann (bunnygirl)https://www.blogger.com/profile/04938134750150653386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-573408213178717372007-05-02T07:48:00.000-07:002007-05-02T07:48:00.000-07:00Wow, I just found this site today and I really lik...Wow, I just found this site today and I really like the way you explain writing tips! To be sure, I will definitely be back here often. thanks!cherio1https://www.blogger.com/profile/18204517569238742145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-33752108065604638012007-05-02T06:24:00.000-07:002007-05-02T06:24:00.000-07:00Thanks for pointing out that tags are used all too...Thanks for pointing out that tags are used all too often. It seems like that's a way a writer shows they don't trust the reader to figure out what's going on in the scene. Show, don't tell; always a good motto in this case!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-22378013791532126572007-05-02T06:14:00.000-07:002007-05-02T06:14:00.000-07:00Great points. I also force myself to read the enti...Great points. I also force myself to read the entire book aloud during one of my final edits. It's a great way to make the entire book flow naturally. It's my contention if your tongue falters over the wording (dialogue or otherwise), it's an awkward passage and needs to be revised until you can read it without stumbling.Marie-Nicole Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06704351418597214594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-60654930509945881412007-05-02T06:07:00.000-07:002007-05-02T06:07:00.000-07:00I recently discovered I am guilty of the second fe...I recently discovered I am guilty of the second felony and am busy going right through my WIP to eliminate the problem.<BR/><BR/>No 4 is a huge challenge. One I might have ignored once upon a time, now I'm enjoying trying to meet.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for sharing, Allie.<BR/>jonjoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-32085931770713748742007-05-02T06:05:00.001-07:002007-05-02T06:05:00.001-07:00Another thing I'm conscious of, whether I'm readin...Another thing I'm conscious of, whether I'm reading or writing, is the character's nationality. For example, I often have characters from either the Deep South or from countries like Ireland, where they speak English but the dialect is so different they might as well be speaking a foreign language. LOL <BR/><BR/>My goal is to give the reader the flavor of the character's dialect without it being overwhelming, which would leave the reader tilting her head and muttering, "Huh?"Carolan Iveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11964204665748083341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-349288985188118582007-05-02T06:05:00.000-07:002007-05-02T06:05:00.000-07:00Great advice-thank you!Great advice-thank you!ollie1976https://www.blogger.com/profile/09253441070442158154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-9784230024899424612007-05-02T05:35:00.000-07:002007-05-02T05:35:00.000-07:00Fred came up with my pet peeve. I think the idea a...Fred came up with my pet peeve. I think the idea about reading the dialogue aloud is great. I try to do that, but sometimes I forget. Loved the illustration about the roomie!Judyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15335026948607722749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32906017.post-12067334767416355632007-05-02T05:27:00.000-07:002007-05-02T05:27:00.000-07:00Great post! Number 4 is especially true. Another t...Great post! Number 4 is especially true. Another thing to avoid it overuse of adverbs with tags:<BR/><BR/>He said slowly.<BR/>She said softly.<BR/>He said loudly.<BR/><BR/>The one that bothers me the most is:<BR/><BR/>He exclaimed. <BR/><BR/>Ugh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com