Author stream of wossit. Ignore

[erastes]

So the book is getting to that point where I'm really enjoying to write it.  It's a lovely point to be in, and I don't know whether other authors have this, but I usually like the first page or so of a novel because that's been knocking me in the brain for a year or two, and I know how things start, but the scary stuff is one or two chapters in.  I've just finished chapter 7 and I have to say, I really enjoyed writing it.  I've not written something so very dependent on dialogue before.

See, when I was writing Standish I didn't do dialogue much - and I realised this after I'd finished it. There were speeches. But there wasn't much conversation.

It was role playing games in fandom that helped me there. RPG was hugely helpful, because you wrote conversations. Very little description, because it was deep deep pov, usually 3rd person and run on LJ it was simply a back and forth thing. Perhaps a little description as: "Severus picked up the jug and gave Lucius a blank look. "And you thought this would work? A second rate potion like this?"

Timing - this is something I never see discussed in writing, but something i think is as important in novels as it is on comedy shows or in films. If you write a dialogue heavy scene, it has to have timing, it's important to let your characters falter, to let them break their speech in the middle, at the end - and it has to have realism. People don't speak in complete sentences for example - people um and er and break off and wave their arms in exasperation and how often do you see that in a book? People mispronounce words, or use the wrong words and get mocked. People forget the names for things or lose the thread of the conversation completely. And yet in books everyone seems to know what to say and continues to say it until they've finished.

I don't think for one second that I've perfected the art of dialogue, but I'm having enormous fun letting characters show me who they are by  allowing me listen to their conversations.

Comments

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

Yep, online RPG is great for just about everything excluding narrative description. I've noticed a lot of RPers are not very good at descriptions.

I think my dialogue contains the elements you mention, and you have no idea how hard I have to fight with editors to leave my dialogue alone as it's written. I use things like pauses, or characters say things like wanna, coulda, ya know. Editors keep trying to change it to proper English. The greatest majority of people just don't speak in proper grammatically correct English.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Exactly - regarding your point about people's real conversations. People tend not to use coherent sentences, specially around people they know because the family/friends fill in the gaps.

[megleigh.livejournal.com]

I liked this post. I have been thinking quite a bit about dialogue whilst editing my current work in pre-pub. Fortunately my editors don't try to change my 'wanna' 'coulda' or 'woulda' moments in dialogue, except for one incidence of 'gonna' which I had allowed a character to use in this story, but which was out of synch with the way this particular character had been speaking for the entire time up till that one word. I love that editors can spot things like that. "Gonna" for that character was going to be entirely out of place.

Making dialogue seem real without actually writing real dialogue, is the trick. Real dialogue, taken directly from life would get boring.

Ever noticed how our conversations with each other in life seldom do anything to advance the plot? *g*

[the-sea-to.livejournal.com]

Ever noticed how our conversations with each other in life seldom do anything to advance the plot?

thank you. I just spurted coke out of my nose at the computer.
Maybe I'll have a moratorium on non-plot advancing conversations. Would love to tell my boss: "Sorry, this conversation with you is nonsensical, pointless, and does not advance the plot. GO AWAY."

[megleigh.livejournal.com]

LOL! It would be nice to be able to say that to some people, wouldn't it?

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

Oh man, no kidding.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I should do more substantial writerly posts, but everyone seems to do them so much better than me.

Heh - yes, you are right about plotless conversations in RL!!

[clarelondon.livejournal.com]

That's exactly how I feel! I'm struggling with a chapter 3 at this very minute, though I can see 7 and 8 in my mind's eye.

And dialogue is my love. I sit and let it flow through me, then just scribble. I let the characters talk inside me (*spooky*) and I've even been caught saying it aloud, to get true realism *lol*. I prefer that to description, really. That's why my stuff seems quite stage-y sonetimes.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I have entire conversations - specially in the car!

[sleveen.livejournal.com]

Well, I have nothing useful or illuminating to add except to say that I love your writing and I think you are a genius. *fangirls you inappropriately*

LOL

[erastes.livejournal.com]

*major blush*

[the-sea-to.livejournal.com]

You are genius more. Most genius. ALL HAIL.

Will be around tonight DRM-ing. Whip me to end of chapter and most of next. Should be able to do it.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Poking achieved, sah!

[the-sea-to.livejournal.com]

You are a good Erastes. *smites with the stick of happy*

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I really like your points about dialogue. It's very important for it to sound right. People don't declaim, they witter and waffle and contradict themselves and it's SO difficult to write well.

Online RPG is a constant surprise to me. For the past 4 years I've been blessed by writing with some brilliant people in a game that does allow for descriptive passages as well as dialogue and complex and entertaining plot. The only problem is that it's so stimulating and friendly that the solitary graft of writing a novel is very hard to get down to.

I'm glad you're enjoying your writing process. That means it'll go quicker!

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

The only problem is that it's so stimulating and friendly that the solitary graft of writing a novel is very hard to get down to.

I know this feeling all too well. After a lively day of RP it's hard as hell to go back to solo writing. You keep wanting someone else to take a turn so you can get some fresh ideas and there isn't anyone else!

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Ah I'm at work during the day so writing time and RP time compete for the same hours. However, one day I'll retire and write in the mornings when I'm all bright and sparky, and can edit and RP at the same time in the evenings - in my dreams probably, but it's nice to have a goal.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes, there was a lot of declaiming in Standish, but I think I'm over that now.

I did love RPGing while I did it, there was some stress too, which drove me mad because OMG some people are such bloody divas - but I had a huge amount of fun being Lucius and Fenrir.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter RPGs drove me to distraction if not quite the bottle, but luckily I avoided the canon police by playing Gilbert Wimple [who has only one line of canon plus horns!]. Now we do contemporary fiction with a supernatural twist and have a whale of a time with it, though sadly the first three years were on Greatest Journal and are now gone. Thank goodness for LJarchive!

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

My fave bits are dialogue. Getting the odd 'um' and 'err' in and ... pausing. You may have noticed my '...' once or thrice, lol.

I'm re-reading the Connotations blub before I pluck up the courage to doooo eeeet, as Ritchie would say.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I hope you get up the courage to go!

:)