Saturday, May 4, 2013

Dialogue Should Be Brief

Dialogue Should Be Brief

1. Dialogue should be brief.
2. It should add to the reader’s present knowledge.
3. It should eliminate the routine exchanges of ordinary conversation.
4. It should convey a sense of spontaneity but eliminate the repetitiveness of real talk.
5. It should keep the story moving forward.
6. It should be revelatory of the speaker’s character, both directly and indirectly.
7. It should show the relationships among people.
ELIZABETH BOWEN

4 comments:

  1. YES! I hate dialogue that drones on and on such as a discussion about whether or not the MC would like cream in his coffee. Get to the point already! Nice post. Packs a punch. Will be tweeting this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great help Daniel. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete