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Dialogue is an especially important component of any suspense writing. If you've read a Raymond Chandler novel, you know what I mean. Snappy conversation between clever characters picks up the pace while revealing as much as pages of narrative, and when you're writing suspense, it's all about feeding your reader necessary information while keeping those pages turning.
The following is an excerpt from my debut for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, The Seven-Day Target. Libby has just returned the engagement ring Nick gave her– three years after they broke up.
"But you kept it. You kept it all these years." He said it with a quick snap, his words betraying a depth of raw hurt.
Libby halted. "I meant to return it."
"Ah, sure. When the time was right and the gesture was calculated to hurt the most."
She swallowed. "I'm due in court. Thanks for the tea."
"You paid for it."
"Then thanks for nothing."
This exchange is an example of how dialogue can do heavy lifting for a writer. I don't need to explain that things are tense between Nick and Libby; their conversation says it all, and in very little space.
Any fiction writer can benefit from using dialogue that sings. You want a page turner, right? So here are a few of my favorite tips.
1) Keep the tags simple – Yes, you're a writer and you have a way with words, but dialogue tags aren't the place to showcase your talents. Stick to "Bob said" and "Jane said" most of the time and reserve your clever words for the dialogue itself. Will readers gloss over those tags? Yes! That's what we want! We want our readers to get so caught up in the rhythm of the characters' conversation that they are carried to another place. Better yet, whittle those tags down to nonexistence at points. If two characters are having a conversation, let them speak without signaling who is doing the talking—unless those signals are necessary to avoid confusion. Reader confusion is a bad thing.
2) Your characters are individuals –Communication is wonderfully complex. People express themselves differently depending on gender, personality, life experience, level of education, and even region of the country or world. Take a look at some dialogue you recently wrote. Is your cowboy hero really as erudite as a Yale professor? Or would he express that idea in simpler terms? Would he be likely to talk freely about how he's feeling, or to admit that he doesn't know the answer to a question your lovely heroine is asking? (Answer: no, he would not). Dialogue can trap an intrusive author, so make sure your characters are really the ones doing the talking.
3) Remember that this is a conversation – You may have heard the advice to read your dialogue out loud, and I'll echo that here. One thing that can jar me out of a story is reading dialogue that doesn't sound like something someone would say. Maybe the words are too polished, or the sentence is so long that no one could say it in one breath. It's okay for your characters to express themselves imperfectly, or to stumble over their thoughts at times. Maybe they think one thing and say another. That's all good, as long as they are saying those things like people.
4) Your characters are novel-worthy – Your characters are people we want to read about…right? That means they can be as brash, rude, or sassy as the most outrageous real-life people, or they can be as thoughtful, wise, and considerate as the most inspiring among us. The thing is, they have to be more interesting than the average person to keep a reader engaged.
So go ahead: let your characters loose. Let them say the outrageous things that all of us wish we were brave enough to verbalize, and let us sit back and revel in the thrilling mayhem that ensues. Or let them inspire us and verbalize the thoughts we've struggled with expressing. Either way, I guarantee your reader won't be bored.
What are your favorite tips for writing dialogue?
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What are your favorite tips for writing dialogue?
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Natalie loves hearing from readers! You can contact her through her website, www.nataliecharles.net.
The
Seven Day Target
He never meant to speak to her again. Back in Arbor Falls for a funeral, Special Agent Nick Foster has moved on. He has no plans to stay in his tiny hometown-or to reunite with the beautiful Libby Andrews. His onetime fiancée broke his heart, and what's past should stay buried.
Libby
doesn't want his help. Her childhood sweetheart can never know the real reason
she ended their engagement three years before. But when a serial killer targets
her, she must team up with the rugged agent for her own safety. Something in
her past has put her in danger, and the passion they've reignited puts their
future in deadly jeopardy.
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So, any dialgoue tips to share?
