Constructing Dialog

One of the great tasks of writing fiction is to depict conversations between the characters. There are clearly many creative, artistic consideration that go along with writing dialog, but there is also some things that cross over into the mechanics.

There are many, many, internet sources related to writing dialogue. Among those is this one from Writers Digest:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/keep-it-simple-keys-to-realistic-dialogue-part-i

However, for the sake of keeping things easy to find, I'll share a few things that seem very important in composing dialogue.

Beats vs Attribution

Any time you write dialogue, you probably want to make sure your reader knows who is saying what. This is done, generally one of two ways, and usually in combination.

The first, tried and true, method is the use of attribution. An attribution is a simple direct way of showing who said something.

"Well, that was interesting," Jane said.

Beats combine some character action with the words they say, so that the reader both sees what is happening and hears what is said.

"Well that was interesting." Jane nodded her head and rolled her eyes.

The punctuation for an attribution is rather set. The words spoken are in quotes and there is a comma that sets off the attribution which is outside the quotes. While it seems very boring, when using attributions, it is usually best to stick to some basics and avoid being flowery. Thus, a small repertoire of attributing words can get most of the work done: said, asked, replied, repeated. Unusual words can actually distract from the story! Compare:

"I, for one, think your hair looks great!" Carol replied. 

"I for one, think your hair looks great!" Carol opined.

Keep in mind that the purpose of attribution is to let the reader know who said what. In some cases, a little more information can be added, and style will ultimately dictate just how much, but as a rule, limiting the work done by attributions is a good idea.

In almost every case, what each person says should be treated as its own paragraph. When using beats, a few short sentences can be included with the spoken words, but make sure that it is clear who is saying what. If you have a lot of action, just set that up as a paragraph, and put the words spoken in a paragraph of their own.

It usually works well to use beats and attributions in combination. Compare the two versions of the scene below.

Carol and Kevin sat at the small cafe table waiting on their coffees to be served. Carol was clearly upset, and Kevin wanted to help her through the situation as best as he could.

"I really don't know what to do," Carol said. 

She looked around at the others present, as if an answer lurked somewhere among them. Kevin waited for her to look back at him and settle down. 

"It will be fine. I'll stick with you through it all," Kevin said. 

"I know you will," Carol replied. 

The waiter brought their coffee. 

Now, see how this passage reads if some of the attributions are changed.

Carol and Kevin sat at the small cafe table waiting on their coffees to be served. Carol was clearly upset, and Kevin wanted to help her through the situation as best as he could.

"I really don't know what to do." She looked around at the others present, as if an answer lurked somewhere among them. 

Kevin waited for her to look back at him and settle down. "It will be fine. I'll stick with you through it all."

"I know you will," Carol replied. 

The waiter brought their coffee. 

The story is the same, but there is just a different feel to the second version. The possibilities are endless, and the art is to find the best combination that best fits the style and tone of the story.