How to Write Dynamic Dialogue

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OK I confess, we authors cheat when we write - especially when we write dialogue.Two girls working on their Dynamic Dialogue

Normal conversations go like this:-

'Hi.'
'Hi. How are you?'
'Good. And you?'
'Good.'
'I was thinking of going shopping.'
'Oh. What for?'
'My mother gave me some money for my birthday and I need a new jumper.'
'Sounds great. Count me in.'

We can talk much more quickly than we read, so in real conversations we don't mind a bit of rambling, or 'uhm' and 'er' mixed up in the words. However, reading takes effort, so to keep things moving writers cheat and cut right to the interesting part.

'Hey, my mum gave me some money for my birthday. Want to go shopping?'
'Sounds great. Count me in.'

How can you help students use the same technique? Try these suggestions:-

  • Tell them to start right in the middle of the conversation, where things get interesting.
  • Simply ban all the 'hi, how are you...' segments.
  • When editing the first draft, get students to highlight the really attention-grabbing bits in their dialogue. Encourage them to ditch the rest.
  • Give them a scaffolding line. For example, a dialogue between a ghost and a flying pig – so suggest where to start. 'Hey! Watch where you're going!'

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