  Drama
This week: Dialogue: Can there be too much? Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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I question the use of dialogue in short stories in this newsletter. Can there be too much dialogue? Does dialogue help or hinder the drama of a story? |
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It's me again. Yeah, I'm a glutton, or well, forgot I had end of November and also got the beginning of December newsletter for Drama. So, you get to read another one from me, in a row and then again at end of month. Anyways... This time I'm going to talk about dialogue in dramatic stories.
As far as dialogue in general is concerned: I'm a fan. Ever since practicing for specific contests on this site, I've often put a fair amount of talking in my novels, in particular in first drafts and during NaNoWriMo cause it's now the easiest for me to do in my stories. My weak point is description, but boy can my characters talk.
There can be benefits to the chatter. The way it allows characters to provide information to each other and the reader comes in handy when worrying about telling versus showing. There are times when the right bit of dialogue in a moment, the right phrase or saying can help set the tone, pacing or create the right moment desired. The way the speech is done and word choice can also be useful in showing character.
Many situations can be helped with communication (dialogue). Drama in romance can be save by the characters talking or it can even be created by such. All one has to say is "We need to talk" and there is a moment created right there with potential for drama. Then there is the anticipation and internal thoughts that occur when the character is preparing for the talk. Much potential in the act of writing romance while using dialogue to move conflict forward.
Whether handling the talk, creating a dramatic moment to lead up to a big reveal (aka, deep breathing followed by "I am your father), or just relaying a bit of useful information, dialogue is a tool that comes in handy when writing a story. However, unless writing for a contest like the Dialogue 500 where only Dialogue is allowed, one has to learn to develop their writing so that there is a balance. I've learned that even though I'm quite a fan of writing dialogue and its use in stories, I do also believe that there is such a thing as too much.
Yep. It is possible to have too much dialogue in a story.
There are times when I'll read a story on here and while it has potential, I will struggle because much of the story will be done in dialogue. I'm not saying that can't work, however, it can also work against the story in some cases. While at times, using characters talking can help with the show versus tell aspect, when taken too far it basically becomes the characters telling, and it's easy enough to notice. Balance is a difficult task to achieve because it will vary with every single story but it's something we should all work on as writers. Plus, the dramatic dialogue reveal can be made stronger by also having other aspects such as emotion and enough description to put the reader in the moment even more.
So, that's my opinion on dialogue anyways. It's great in a dramatic story but there are limits. What do you think?
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Part 7 of my collection of short stories, which is titled "Light at the End of the Tunnel"
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Can there be too much dialogue? Does dialogue help drama or can it hinder it for you?
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Drama: December 03, 2014 Issue [#6694]
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