Witty Wordsmith: The Foundation to Stronger Dialogue

[StarBase 118 Staff]

In standard literature dialogue is a mixed bag.  Some writers adore it while others avoid it like the proverbial plague.  But when you switch from standard prose to the script style we use in our sims, dialogue moves to the forefront.  The main focus in on what your character says, and how they say it.

The same advice appears over and over again – give each character a unique voice and make that voice resonate to the audience.  The big question is how do you accomplish that?  Is there a guide to getting clearer voices on the page?

Fortunately, yes there is!  Esther Inglis-Arkell wrote up this fantastic reference on learning fresh new dialogue skills over at the io9 blog.

She recommends some excellent resources for you to start reading, and points out exactly why each one is so valuable for learning dialogue skills.  Unsurprisingly many of the examples are masters of the graphic novel trade.  What better medium to learn about dialogue than one where most narrative is stripped away and replaced with graphics, leaving the dialogue to stand and shine.

You can also head on over to our forums and join the discussion by telling us your favorite sources of dialogue.  Do you like the ones linked in the article, or do you have your own favorites?  Share your best dialogue resources here!  Check out some examples, and see if they inspire you to make some changes in the way you write your own characters!

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