S.G. Browne - Author discussion

Inti had asked if I had any advice on writing dialogue. I recently wrote a blog post about it on my web site, if you're interested in checking it out:

http://sgbrowne.com/2011/08/the-writi...

While some of this might be repetitive from my blog post, I believe that my love of films and the time I spent reading scripts and plays early on in my writing played a role in how I write dialogue. Good plays and screenplays have crisp dialogue that sounds like the way people should talk rather than how real conversations sound. Good TV shows do the same thing. And I watched a lot of TV growing up, so maybe that has something to do with the way I write my dialogue.

My best advice for writing good dialogue is to read good dialogue. Use the examples of the authors in my blog post. Read plays and screenplays if you can and get a feel for the rhythm of the conversations. Or just pay attention to the dialogue in films when you watch them. Figure out what works and what doesn't and why. Again, you can use the examples I provide in my blog or watch some of your favorite films. I still think The Graduate does a great job with dialogue and still holds up today.

And feel free to follow up with any additional questions or thoughts.

I have heard/read that many people have trouble with dialogue but my problem is that I have no trouble with it; my characters almost never shut up.

How much dialogue would you say is too much dialogue?

I would say it's too much dialogue if it becomes a couple of talking heads and there's nothing else going on. If the conversation stops moving the plot forward or revealing character or providing the reader with something useful, then it's probably time for the characters to shut up.

I love dialouge, it's so much easier for me to write because it gets me closer to the characters which is all I really care about. I feel more into the story when actual people are talking to each other.

The problem I have is with stuff in between the dialouge, the description of where they are and how they feel about stuff, without having the characters actually say it. I struggle with narration, mainly in 3rd person. That's why most of my stories are in 1st person because I can tell the story better if I'm writing as my character who is just...well talking. It's like dialouge all the way through. The character even gives commentary in between dialouge sometimes. Now that's a character that never shuts up. :P

I do want to work on my 3rd person more, though, because there are certain ways I want to describe things that don't fit how the character would talk or think.

But yeah, for the most part, dialouge is always fun. I have no problem with it. I love creating banter. That's my favorite. :)

I enjoy good banter, especially in certain films where the intonation and inflection is just pitch perfect.

I love movies with a lot of dialogue . . . My all time favorite is My Fair Lady. They never shut up. :) If I think about movies I really enjoy, they all have a lot of dialogue. I'm not so into breathtaking scenic shots. I don't really care for it in my books, either. Have you ever read the Diviners by Rick Moody? It took 14 pages to describe a sunrise. He could really never bring me back after that. Actually, I think I kind of hold it against him and get irritated when I even think of that book. And, yes, I did finish it. I was reading it with a friend and it became a competition. I couldn't tell you ONE think about that book except the damn sunrise.

One of my favorite films for dialogue uses it sparingly and yet fills the spaces in between with glances and expressions that say more than words possibly could is The Graduate. Even more than forty years later, it still stands up.

When it comes to writing, dialogue flows so freely I usually have a difficult time throwing in description, however, I just realized, when it comes to movies some of my most favorite movies have little dialogue, David Lynch's Eraserhead, for example. I like to be shown things and love it when an expression or a look in someone's eyes can convey feeling or knowledge. I'm also big on music and sound effects adding depth of feeling to a scene. I'm just an all around fan of expression in place of words despite loving reading and writing as much as I do.

Know what? I didn't like the Graduate. I watched it a few times, because I should, but I didn't. Now I know why. I also didn't love Lawrence of Arabia with its Beautiful, sweeping cinematography. I know that, empirically, I am wrong on both counts. I must really like you, because I don't just go broadcasting that.

And I appreciate the honesty and admission, even if you don't like The Graduate. :)

I definitely like movies and shows with a lot of dialouge--banter and creative wordplay. That's why one of my top favorite shows is Seinfeld. They just go back and forth--that whole show is dialouge. lol I also love the show Psych because the two main characters banter a lot and their wordplay always tickles my funny bone. Sometimes they go so fast I can't even catch all the little jokes. I love stuff like that. I love seeing it, reading, and writing it.

I felt compelled to let you know I went to see "The Artist" tonight. . . a silent movie. That means (dun dun dun) NO DIALOGUE. And, yes, it was quite enjoyable. It was cool to see in a movie theater, and to hear the reactions of people ... a laugh, or a gasp, an "awww." Any reaction seemed so loud. Even though there was music in the movie, it was absolutely distracting -- but in a good way -- to hear a vocal response from the theater when you didn't get any of that (auditory) from the screen. And, the story was good. I don't know that I would watch it over and over, though. It needed more dialogue.

I haven't seen "The Artist" myself but keep thinking I should just to see what it's like. Thanks for sharing your movie-going experience, Susan.

I would disagree that there was no dialogue, it just was typed out on title cards, not spoken. There was definitely less of it than in a modern movie. Still it was an amazing, fun, different kind of movie going experience.

Indeed there was "some" dialogue, but if you wrote out all the dialogue on all the cards, I would be surprised if it filled one side of a sheet of paper. So, I should have said the dialogue was "negligible." It's like when I say I have no money in the bank, and I just mean I don't have enough to do anything with the money. Still, it was a fun movie, and it had lots of moving lips without words, but I don't think the dialogue lent to the story except on a very, very basic level.