October Novel Prep Challenge

This is an interesting article, and an approach I like. I've noticed that J.K. Rowling almost always has characters doing things during dialog scenes, and it works well, offering opportunities for comedy and/or memorable moments to dress up the dialog. The Stephanie Plum novels do a wonderful job of this too, especially to take her already funny dialog and heighten the comic elements to another level.

It's interesting because many of the books and tips I've read advise the opposite, stating that description during dialog scenes should be minimized to make it easier to follow the line of conversation. It's funny how some of the best authors are those that defy convention.

Personally, in trying to mimic my own thoughts/feelings during conversations, I find myself adding in a lot of body language. My perception of what others are saying makes use of expressions, posture, and gesticulation quite a bit, so I try to include a lot of that. It can be especially effective when the body language contradicts the words, creating a mini-mystery during the dialog to help keep the reader engaged.

For example, as a reader, I find this...

"Thank you, Michelle. I really appreciate it," Nora said, the corners of her mouth twitching downward.

Michelle's brows furrowed. Was something wrong? Had she given Nora the wrong gift? "You can always return it," she offered, her voice quavering slightly.

Nora's eyes softened, and she forced a small smile. "It's perfect."

Michelle returned her friend's smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her gaze remained dark as it darted about in a puzzled examination of Nora's face. What was troubling her friend?


...far more engaging than this...

"Thank you, Michelle. I really appreciate it," Nora said.

"You can always return it," Michelle offered.

"It's perfect," Nora replied.


The former version doesn't really even contain any action, but the addition of body language adds some intrigue to the scene, in my opinion.


Really, I suppose any of the above can be equally valid. As with most things, the best choice probably depends on the nature of the scene and what you are hoping to accomplish. When the content of the dialog is of utmost importance, it's probably not a good idea to distract from it. But when the content is more mundane (such as describing the ordinary life of your protagonist), adding action is probably a good approach to spice things up.