Character Speaking

Subject: Character Speaking Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:02 pm

This refers to the article that Dick gave us the link to, Criminal Brief.

Now that I am into writing dialog again (which I have hated for years and that is why I haven't finished any fiction), I have a question about what you do with your dialog.

Do you write the way your character would speak? Or, do you write according to the 'rules'?

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sat Jan 31, 2009 7:28 pm

Write it exactly as the character would speak! (Well, it works for me).

The narrative should usually be written "by the rules", but it's the
dialogue that brings the story to life. That is the whole message in
the "Show, don't tell" thing.

Get that Stephen King book. That is one of his main points!

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:05 pm

I would say, try to stay in the ballpark as far as puntuation, etc. But let the speech flow naturally as it would from the speaker.

"Hell you say!"

"Like I care."

"Best you be handy to your razor."

These are strictly illegal grammatically, but desirable as dialogue.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:31 am

Sue,

These links might help you.

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and one on writing a character's thoughts.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:18 am

Sue Sunshine wrote:: This refers to the article that Dick gave us the link to, Criminal Brief.

Now that I am into writing dialog again (which I have hated for years and that is why I haven't finished any fiction), I have a question about what you do with your dialog.

Do you write the way your character would speak? Or, do you write according to the 'rules'?

There are rules?????? Shocked

Where are these rules? scratch

Never mind. I don't want to see them. tongue

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 6:53 am

As suggested by Brew and Lin, have the characters talk just as they would in real life. In many cases the reader would know who is speaking just by the way he talks. A professor at Columbia would speak differently than an Ohio farmer. Don't worry too much about rules; it would be foolish to have the farmer talk like the professor.
If two cops are talking they will sound much alike. If you want examples of stilted speech, listen to cops on news programs.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:07 am

Now you take Uncle Remus.....

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:51 am

Who is Uncle Remus?

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:54 am

Thanks, Jenny, I am going to bookmark and return to those links later today. I appreciate the them.

I also appreciate all the effort you all have exerted in answering my questions. I have been 'dying' to post the following for a while now. It seems the appropriate time. *grin*

Here is Sweet Sue.
She doesn't have a clue.
So she asks and asks
Until she knows what to do.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 12:02 pm

Quote :: Who is Uncle Remus?

Uncle Remus (my hero) is the old black man storyteller in Joel Chandler
Harris's collection of stories by the same name.(see wikipedia article
at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] )

It was written using the deep south black dialect of the time.

Remember Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, etc.?

The stories were immortalized in the movie, Song of the South - one of my very favorites!

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 12:05 pm

Okay, now I know who you are talking about! Thanks for the memory refreshing!

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:06 pm

Now here's a twist on dialogue. Ever tried to write dialogue for a mute person? LOL

See how I handled it in the WIP section Ol' Blind Joe that I just added and give me your honest opinion. I can take criticism!

It also has a lot of dialogue in suthun dialect.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:18 pm

I found the dialogue in "The Madhatter's Guide to Chocolate" by Rhett DeVane charming, funny, and delightful.

When dialogue is natural and fits the characters ... it can really add to the story.

HOWEVER, going overboard with certain types of speaking styles can be a distraction and downright annoying.

Recently, I've given up on a couple of books because the writer had characters with accents or special types of speech ... and these writers put in so much effort to making their speech style authentic ... that it was a major distraction and super annoying. It was like they tried TOO hard.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:36 pm

I follow patterns but generally avoid off-spellings.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:41 pm

Quote :: Recently,
I've given up on a couple of books because the writer had characters
with accents or special types of speech ... and these writers put in so
much effort to making their speech style authentic ... that it was a
major distraction and super annoying. It was like they tried TOO hard.

I know exactly what you mean, JoElle. After
writing Keechie and getting feedback from some friends, I had to go
back and "tone `er down" a bit.

Another thing is that suthun-speak drops the final "G" and an
apostrophe is used... (Singing" becomes "singin') and "the" becomes
"th'". Too many of those punctuation marks in a sentence makes it
virtually unreadable, Stephen King said that it is sometimes
better to just leave them off (the asopstophes). The readers (Constant
Readers) aren't stupid and will appreciate it. I'm still undecided on
it.

Dialect is a great character developer if used properly.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:40 pm

Probably the greatest authority on the dropped G and other traits of Midwesterners was Ring Lardner, who made a great study of it so the stories he wrote in the 1920s were authentic. Don't drop the final G if the word contains a Y, for example. Try saying anythin'. It ain't easy, and ease of speaking is the whole point of droppin' a G. For some great stories, try to find anything by Lardner. Alibi Ike and You Know Me, Al (A Busher's Letters Home) are probably his most famous.

Sue, I liked your poem.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 4:12 pm

Thanks, Elfie...

I consider it high praise, coming from you. Smile

The best way to write good dialog--or, at least what works for me--is to listen to the way people actually speak.

I did get nailed by my editor on too many dropped g's. A few sprinkled here and there make the point. No need for overkill.

I can write southern speak because it is my first language. I speak fluent southern redneck.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:06 pm

Thanks, Dick, on the poem. It fits, doesn't it? *grin*

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:09 pm

Rhett,
you have the makings of a new book, "How to speak Redneck."

If you recall, there was a book, "How to speak southern" when Jimmy Carter was president.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:31 am

madhatter wrote:: ...
The best way to write good dialog--or, at least what works for me--is to listen to the way people actually speak.

I did get nailed by my editor on too many dropped g's. A few sprinkled here and there make the point. No need for overkill. ...

Exactly! And you really perfected that balance in your novels. It added flavor and character ... instead of being an annoying distraction.

Not all writers get that.

I read a novel that had French characters and the writer tried too hard. Tossing in all these French phrases, which I understood (thanks to high school French), but she over did it to the point I got fed up and recycled the book. I got the point, they are French ... but can we stick to the story???

Another one, a time travel/historical romance, had highlander guy. And I think after the 20th "dinna" and "canna" and "yere" within two pages ... I could not find the guy attractive, so saw no point to continue reading. Recycled it too.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:08 am

When I'm writing about my pioneer ancestors, I look to the speech patterns of my East Texas relatives. I tried writing in dialect, but couldn't make it work, so I used normal spelling and punctuation, but the words and sentence patterns of that dialect. I guess it works, my brother has read parts of the work and says he can hear them speaking.

Ann

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:15 am

I like these posts about writing that express variations in style. It's like looking outside the box.

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Mon Feb 02, 2009 11:03 am

I detest stories that include phrases in French or any foreign language. Even worse are those that use them but don't explain what they mean.
At my last newspaper job the woman whose desk touched mine had read her first Hercule Poirot story. He often says Voila! The woman said, "I wondered why he was always saying the girl's name, Viola."

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Mon Feb 02, 2009 1:21 pm

Well, in Spanish, "viola" means rape. So maybe...

Subject: Re: Character Speaking Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:42 pm

I wish you hadn't told me that, Lin.

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