They Said What? Tips for Writing Dialogue from a Fantasy Author

Dialogue is, in my opinion, an understated strategy for conveying information in a story. Authors are told time and time again to ‘show, not tell’. Russian novelist Anton Chekhov is credited with saying:

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” 

However, exposition can only go so far. Long-winded paragraphs that are info-heavy and action-lacking can take a reader out of a story as they lose interest and end up missing half of what the author needed them to know. 

Sensory descriptions are great for bringing the reader into the story and making them feel alongside the characters, but too many details make the story feel prose-heavy and can still be distracting. 

But that information is important, whether it's vital to the plot or to the character’s development. So what’s an author left to do? 

This is where dialogue has its time to shine. The way characters interact with each other both verbally and non-verbally can do a lot of heavy lifting for the story. When done well it seamlessly delivers nuggets of information to the reader, sometimes without them even knowing. 

Take banter, for example. Not only is it dynamic and engaging for the reader but it can also be used to establish and build character. Whether a character participates in banter at all, and what their style of verbal combat is, can reveal a lot about the person you are trying to make your readers fall in love with. 

Sassy and teasing banter could be used by the outgoing charmer, while the sarcastic and pessimistic banter may be used by a hardened, bitter character. And both characters may be using banter as a shield, which is why the lack of banter can also be useful. If a character who's been joking the majority of the book suddenly starts taking things seriously, you as the reader knows something is up.

The challenge can come in making dialogue both genuine, and engaging. Through my own writing and plenty of reading, I’ve done my best to distill down the key strategies that make good dialogue, as well as shared my own musical approach to writing dialogue. 

It’s all about variety

As with all writing, there isn't one right way to write. You will also have the editing stages to sharpen and refine your dialogue, so be kind to yourself if the lines are landing right away. But if you're looking for an idea on where to start, allow me to share my strategy. Treating dialogue like musical beats to build a varied rhythm.

To be clear, I am not musically trained. The only skill I can claim is being able to tap my toes in time. However, it's the closest analogy I can think of to describe how I hear dialogue in my head. Each sentence is a beat, and by arranging beats in a varied pattern I create a rhythm that makes for a smooth and engaging reading experience. 

For a start, a simple short beat to long beat to short beat combination can be great for quick exchanges between characters. (I've chosen these names because they were two main characters in one of my favourite TV shows, Psych, but it is otherwise a random creation)

Shawn: See, I'm a genius.

Gus: What you are is a piece of work.

Shawn: A work of art, yes.

Partnering long combats with short, sharp comebacks makes the dialogue feel witty, clever and helps to vary the pace of the conversation. From just this I already can tell that Sean is cocky, while Gus is likely frustrated and out of patience. It's sassy, fun, and also shows me the characters' dynamic with each other very quickly.

However, if we were to extend the conversation then the repetition of the short-long-short pattern would become tiresome. If the rhythm is too repetitive it is easier for the brain to disengage, the same way you may feel your mind drifting during mundane tasks (at least that’s how it is for me). It makes the conversation, and by consequence the characters, feel more rigid and stale.

When working with longer combinations of dialogue, using a varied rhythm in the conversation keeps the reader on their toes and their brain engaged with said conversation. It also gives the opportunity for the characters to grow and feel like real people. For example in this next scenario, it is very clear that Character 1 is at the end of their rope with their counterpart:

Shawn: See, I’m a genius

Gus: What you are is a piece of work.

Shawn: A work of art, yes.

Gus: If you were a piece of art it would definitely be a Picasso

Shawn: Because I’m Bright and full of life?

Gus: Because you're simple-minded, obnoxious to be around and get far more credit then you deserve

Shawn: You forgot one thing

Gus: What's that?

Shawn: The thing all great artists suffer from... being terribly under-appreciated in my time.

Short Beat → Long beat → short beat → long beat → short → long → short → short → long. 

This is why I equate dialogue to music. Adding a double short beat is like the bridge in the middle of a song after two choruses. Varied dialogue catches the reader's attention in ways we can't always articulate. I am often thinking of dialogue in a short - long - short - short - long pattern, and if I ever get stuck with the flow of a conversation I go back to that rhythm to find my way out of it.

Now I would never say this is a rule, however, it is a guideline that I’ve found helpful for making dialogue interesting. But it isn’t enough to simply vary the number of words in each sentence. As a writer we must also consider the support pieces that are built on top of this foundation. To continue the musical metaphor, we have established our melody and now it is time to build the full song. 

Not everything needs a dialogue tag

If this varied rhythm of dialogue could be considered a drum beat, then it is the foundation on which we will add additional instructions. These layers take the form of dialogue tags and character actions.  

Just like with our dialogue, it is important to vary our dialogue tags and actions. I’ve heard it said that “Said” is an invisible word. I think this is because it is a neutral word. It can be inserted into any situation without affecting the tone of the scene, unless you use too much of it. Anything used too repetitively in a novel becomes a distraction to the reader and makes the read feel boring.

“See, I’m a genius,” Shawn said.

“What you are is a piece of work,” Gus said.

“A work of art, yes,” Shawn said.

“If you were a piece of art it would definitely be a Picasso,” Gus said.

“Because I’m bright and full of life?” Shawn said.

“Because you’re simple-minded, obnoxious to look at, and get far more credit than you deserve,” Gus said.

“You forgot one thing,” Shawn said.

“What’s that?” Gus said.

“The thing all great artists suffer from. Being terribly under-appreciated in my time,” Shawn said. 

Not only does that take ALL the fun out of that conversation it minimizes the feelings that could be discerned from the dialogue on its own.

Instead writers should consider how dialogue tags can add to the scene’s tone, feeling, and intention. “Said” is different from “shouted”, and “warned” can have a different tone than “cautioned”. That doesn’t mean never use the word ‘Said’. If you are writing an angry scene you don’t want the characters constantly shouting at each other. That is just as boring over time. Again it comes back to the rule of variety. 

And, to take it a step further, it may be strategic to not use a dialogue tag at all. So long as it is easy for the reader to discern who the speaker is, then removing dialogue tags altogether can add an extra punch and punctuating drum beat to the rhythm of the conversation.

“See, I’m a genius,” Shawn said.

“What you are is a piece of work,” Gus muttered.

“A work of art, yes.”

“If you were a piece of art it would definitely be a Picasso,” Gus argued.

“Because I’m bright and full of life?” Shawn asked.

“Because you’re simple-minded, obnoxious to look at, and get far more credit than you deserve,” Gus snapped.

“You forgot one thing,” Shawn countered. 

“What’s that?” 

“The thing all great artists suffer from. Being terribly under-appreciated in my time,” Shawn said. 

Now to fully round out our song, we need to consider where this conversation is taking place in the context of the scene. What information about the setting and circumstances can I portray through this conversation, and how does the setting change the interaction between the characters? If they are in the middle of a job in the woods, the conversation is likely to be different compared to if the characters were alone in a business meeting room. 

This is where the points of action or description sprinkled into the scene come into play. Intertwining dialogue with exposition can help to establish setting, situation, or character traits. 

Gus stomped into the cramped wooden shake and headed straight to the lantern that hung above the window on the opposite wall. 

Shawn followed a few steps behind, punctuating his whistling tune with the soft click of the creaking wooden door as he closed it behind them. “See, I’m a genius.”

“What you are is a piece of work,” Gus muttered. After three frustrating tries, the lantern finally sparked to life. 

“A work of art, yes.”

Rolling his eyes, Gus turned back to him and threw the duffel bag into his waiting hands. “If you were a piece of art it would definitely be a Picasso.”

Shawn grinned. “Because I’m bright and full of life?”

“Because you’re simple-minded, obnoxious to look at, and get far more credit than you deserve!” Gus snapped. 

Undeterred, Shawn knelt to the floor and unzipped the bag. “You forgot one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“The thing all great artists suffer from,” Shawn said, admiring the loot glittering back at him from inside the bag. “Being terribly under-appreciated in my time.” 

Here the reader knows the two characters are in a dark wooden shack, lit by a lantern, and while Sean is happy with the results of their activities Gus is clearly frustrated with his companion. They’ve likely come back from a theft, seeing as they have a duffel bag full of ‘glittering loot’. Sean’s character feels cocky, while Gus is perhaps more high-strung. There is a lot that can be conveyed in just a short conversation.

This is just one example of the many, many, ways this conversation could be interpreted from just a piece of dialogue. While writing this blog I changed the conversation about five times. Swapping out just one dialogue tag or action in the right place can completely shift the intention, tone, or the characters themselves. These layers, the variation of dialogue pacing, dialogue tags (or lack thereof), and showing the setting and plot details through actions, are all important for creating an engaging scene. 

Getting to play in the sandbox to piece together all of these ideas is one of the joys of being a writer, and through editing this one conversation will be shaped and changed even further. I hope some of these strategies help you in writing epic dialogue that makes your readers laugh, cry, and smile (maybe even all at the same time).

If you’d like to explore some more writing tips, tricks, and insights, check out the other blog posts. 

Happy writing!