Writing Dialogue: Defining Character Personalities

-


Last week, I explained dialogue punctuation as part of a series of posts I'm doing on topics I've covered in conference workshops and panels this summer. Today, we're going to look at using dialogue to reveal more about your characters' personalities.

Odds are you've been told something a person you know has said and responded with, "That sounds just like him." You might even hear it in their voice even though you're getting it second hand. 

What makes you recognize their words? The phrasing. The word choices. The tone of the message.

Phrasing

We have our catch phrases. Television shows use this to their advantage. Can you name the characters known for these catch phrases?

  • "How YOU doin'?"
  • "Aaaaay."
  • "Dyn-o-mite."
  • "Eh. What's up doc?"
  • "Hello, Newman."
  • "That's what she said."

Odds are you recognize a few if not all of these and the TV character immediately came to mind. You can do the same thing with your characters. They may or may not have a catch phrase, but they do have a certain way of speaking. What is it? What are their favorite words?

Word Choices

This is separate from catch phrases, because it boils down to what words they choose to explain, discuss, or just converse with others. For example, an educated person will probably use more complex words. A sports person might use sports terms in non-sports arenas. A cook might use cooking terms even when not talking about cooking.

The key is to know your character and determine when they might resort to a sports metaphor or use big words. You can also tell us a lot about these characters by how the people they're talking to react or respond to their dialogue.

Tone

Tone is one of those things that can be difficult to write. It is made up of 4 measurable parts:

  • Volume
  • Rate
  • Pitch
  • Emphasis

Your descriptions of the surrounding actions can help with the four points above, but tone in writing can also come from word choice. Look at the following sentences:

  • I need you to fill this out.
  • You have to fill this out.
  • You gotta fill this out first, or I can't do anything for you.
  • Fill this out.
  • Ok, first, we'll need this filled out.

Accompany the words with actions:

  • Handing them a form.
  • Pushing the form across the counter and turning away at the same time.
  • Clipped words and a frown.
  • A sigh and slapping the form and a pen on the counter.
  • Smiling while handing the form over.

You can mix and match these and create an understood tone within your writing. Some of the statements come across as demanding (you have to, I can't do anything, fill this out). Some are less demanding (I need you, we'll need). Once you add the actions, you amplify the tone.

  • "Fill this out." She spit the words at a clipped rate, a frown creasing her forehead.
  • He smiled and handed her the form. "Ok, first, we'll need this filled out."

Hopefully, you can see the difference in tone in the two examples above. Tone can be situational or it can reveal how the person always deals with others. Let's face it, you know people who always come across abrasive. You, also, know people who come across apologetic every time they speak. Make sure you reveal this kind of information in your characters' dialogues.

So, there you have it: three aspects to consider when you're writing dialogue.

What's your favorite character catch phrase?


Curious about the catch phrases above? In order, they are:

  • Joey (Friends)
  • Fonzie (Happy Days)
  • J. J. (Good Times)
  • Bugs Bunny
  • Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld)
  • Michael Scott (The Office)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skin Tone: Describing Your Characters

-
Image
When you write about character's of different races, how do you describe their skin tone? If you've never thought about this, then consider this question: How do the authors you read described persons of color? A few months ago, I attended a webinar about writing diverse characters. The guest was Eliana West of Writers for Diversity . The information she shared felt fresh and valuable, especially related to describing a character's skin tone. I get really tired of seeing African-descended characters described in terms of the goods that drove, and still drive the slave trade--coffee, chocolate, brown sugar. There's some weird psychosocial baggage attached to that.    -- N. K. Jemisin As this quote from author, N. K . Jemisin , indicates, historically, writers have described people of color using food-related descriptors. Many people of color find this offensive. This surprised me, at first, but she has a point, especially when you view it through the quote above. My fir
Read more

Character Development: Using the Johari Window

-
Image
In my last post, Character Development: the Johari Window , I introduced the Johari Window as a tool for developing your characters. It's important that your character not know everything about their situation. These unknowns can lead to an intriguing story and create possibilities for conflict within the story. How do you use the Johari Window? In this post, I thought I'd provide a simple example of the Johari Window with a character most people know:  Harry Potter. Below, I have filled out the Johari Window as it might appear within the first few pages of book 1, Harry Potter and The Sorceror's Stone . The Johari Window based on Harry Potter and The Sorceror's Stone Three of the quadrants in this window reveal what Harry doesn't know about who he truly is and what happened to his parents. I could add a lot to the quadrants representing what he doesn't know, but I hope this gives you an idea on how a Johari Window might be used. What do you d
Read more

Should Christians Watch The Hunger Games?

-
The question stunned me.  I had never looked at The Hunger Games as a threat to our society, so the email asking why I, as a Christian, could promote a movie/book where children kill children caught me off guard.  My friend admitted, she had not read the books or seen the movie, so her opinion was based on plot information found online, but all I could think is that's not really what The Hunger Games is about.  It does not glorify children killing children.  Sure, there is the arena - which is a large wilderness - where twenty-four children are launched into the game of kill or be killed, but that's only looking at this story from the surface. Even so, I realized my friend gave me a rare opportunity. Rather than blast me, she told me her concerns and asked if I could explain why many Christians support and rave about this story.  I thanked her and asked for a few days to gather my thoughts.  I even re-read the first book in the series with her concern foremost in my mind. 
Read more