  Mystery
This week: Importance Of A Good Dialogue Edited by: Gaby  
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I do love to eavesdrop. It's inspirational, not only for subject matter but for actual dialogue, the way people talk.
~ Lynda Barry
A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That's why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet.
~ Truman Capote
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Let's chew on this subject for a while. Take a minute and think about the last conversation you've had and what had been said. Did anything stick out? What about your behavior? Body language? Do you remember anything the other person did which stood out? Think!
Dialogue
You've done this before. Writing. Scribbling down a conversation you've imagined in your head. Everyone has their own preference when it comes down to it. Some may like more dialogue with less description, others may enjoy shorter conversations with more narrative. Neither is wrong, but it will always depend on the situation. You have to consider the importance of both. Adding to that, you have to take your reader and their view into consideration. What do you want them to see and hear? Body language in writing does matter. It's how we relate to a character. Their movements, hand gestures, the look in their eyes. It all has an impact and it starts with dialogue.
If words are being tossed back and forth, and it continues without any description, it can feel empty. There will be a void. As a reader, you want to see the character's behavior as well as hear their words, right? If they're mad and frustrated, it'll spark certain body movement, such as running an unsteady hand through their hair, biting their bottom lip, faster breathing, the need to pace. After all, words are part of the action, therefore body language is a part of the reaction.
In your opinion, what is considered a good dialogue? Answer that question for yourself. Many editors have said that good dialogue is hard to come by. Why is that?
Writing a dialogue is the interpretation of what we see and hear. Paint a picture for the reader. Nothing eccentric. Something a person can comprehend, rather than deciphering random metaphors. It should sound natural. Avoid using words which can be out of the character's league. Don't make them sound stupid, but have you ever heard anyone use the word such as gargantuan in a normal conversation? If you haven't, don't include it.
I'd love to give you an example of a real conversation I overheard just recently (Yes, I tend to eavesdrop sometimes!) but I've only heard bits and pieces. I had dinner in a restaurant which is located downtown, close to a University. The four people sitting at the adjacent table were students and their conversation sounded so animated, I outright laughed. At first I thought they were talking about quantum physics, that's how serious these four people were, but their conversation revolved around a comment from their teacher. Nothing major, but it turned into a debate. A debate void of any feeling or any serious thought. If someone had told me to write it down, I couldn't have. It wouldn't be believable even though I sat right there and heard it with my own ears.
We as humans are fueled with emotion. Our words are our thoughts and opinions. If you write a dialogue void of human behavior, it's only words on paper. No expressions, no compassion, zero emotion. No one can relate to that. You don't have to attach a reaction to each sentence, but you want to create the scene your reader can imagine.
Here is a great example of a give and take dialogue, which I borrowed, with permission, since it's a personal blog entry, from a friend and fellow writer (Thank you, Antonia Ryder  for inspiring this newsletter!). "Invalid Entry" if you'd like to visit and read the entire entry - and it is well worth reading! - feel free to do so. I've copied her example of dialogue below:
Captain Skye, as it turned out, needed an engineer and didn’t care a whit about papers to prove a person’s knowledge. In their first meeting, Skye had chosen to sit on top of a pile of crates in the shadows, so Sorel hadn’t gotten a great look at him, and his low voice denied any efforts to discern his age.
When Sorel glimpsed the captain leaning against the brickwork wall next to the docks that afternoon, he stopped short with surprise. He hadn’t realized Skye was so close to his age, though shorter and slighter than himself, a smoker, and blonde. Nothing in his face had indicated malice, but the cigarette he drew on gave Sorel pause.
Somehow, even without his appearance tilting in his favour, he still held intimidating status. Maybe it came from the holsters of his silver guns at his hips, or the hat he’d tipped back at a jaunty angle. Or perhaps even the words painted in black, streaking across whatever parts of his bare white chest Sorel could see around his loose jacket. Sorel squinted and made out ‘I’ll’ and ‘you’, but couldn’t identify the word in between.
When Sorel drew nearer, Skye lifted his head and exhaled a slow cloud smoke as hazel eyes searched Sorel’s figure, stabbing deeper with every pass. “You’re still interested, I take it.” Even his voice rasped softly, a testament to some commitment to his cigarettes.
“Yes. Do you mind? I don’t like the—”
“Smoke?” Skye took a long drag and expelled the smoke in a slow sigh. “I’d oblige you, but this is my last one. Kind of want to savour it. I’m sure you understand.” He coughed into his elbow.
“Oh. Sure… go ahead.” Sorel fought the urge to wrinkle his nose and wondered if he meant it was his last one for the day, or his last one forever. He’d hated smoke ever since his house had burned down, and the scent of it lingering on Skye didn’t inspire him with a great deal of confidence.
“Hoy, what’s with the expression?” Skye laughed without humour. “Don’t be so worried. After this I’m resigning myself to peppermints - no more smoking for me.”
Sorel had no idea how to respond, so he blurted the first safe thing that came to his head. “Good luck.”
Skye arched a brow. “Thanks, I guess.” He frowned. “So, I didn’t ask last time. Are you prone to airsickness?”
“Not really.” Sorel shot him a questioning look. “Your pilot has a reputation as an unsteady flier?”
Skye smiled, hiding the expression behind his hand. “No, but he doesn’t usually go around asking people their opinions.”
The words sank in and Sorel stared at him. “Are you saying you’re the pilot and the captain?”
“I do many things. I’ll try to fly smoothly for you.” He inhaled another lungful of smoke and regarded Sorel through one hazel eye. “Now, where were we?”
“I volunteered to be your engineer.”
“Yes, yes, I know that… but I wasn’t thinking of your volunteering. You understand I can’t let you just walk onto my ship.” Skye drew patterns in the air with his cigarette. “It’s incredible, I suppose, but I have to be sure of my company.”
Sorel watched Skye’s roundish features for any hint of what he meant, but they remained studiously blank. Then he lowered one arm and revealed the rest of the letters scrawled on his skin. ‘Shoot’. The writing said ‘I’ll shoot you’. Classy.
“Hoy, that’s the trick.” Skye blew the smoke away from Sorel, then turned back. “I want you to get me something. Have you heard of Lady Elfara’s windstone necklace?”
A lump formed in Sorel’s throat. Lady Elfara’s windstone necklace had one of the purest stones ever found in the sky islands. A regular treasure compared to the average windstones used to power the airships.
He realized Skye still watched him, and nodded. “Yes.”
“Good, saves me some trouble explaining.” Skye’s brows met in a scowl as he examined the shortening stub of his cigarette. “We’ll keep this real simple. Get me that windstone, and I’ll get you a nice position on my ship. Fair ‘nough, I figure?”
“I’m not great at picking people’s pockets.” Sorel hunched his shoulders.
To his surprise Skye laughed, then subsided into a cough. “You won’t have to.” He waved his empty hand. “She puts it on display every time she makes one of her lousy speeches. If you can break glass, you’ve got it.”
“And if I’m caught?”
“Hope you’re not always this pessimistic.” Skye poked his tongue between his teeth and aimed a calculating eye at Sorel. “Your problem, not mine. See to it you don’t get caught. You’ve got a nice innocent face - make some eyes if you have to.”
Sorel couldn’t decide whether he should take offense or not, but found himself nodding all the same. “Sure. I’ll get it.” He would never get the funds for his education without the job, and Skye… something about him hinted at excitement, if not riches.
“I’ll met you here when you’re through.” Skye’s voice floated after him as he walked away. “See you soon.”
Simple, vivid, classy, but most of all, it's a well painted picture. And definitely more than 'he said, she said'. The writer showed so much while creating a dialogue worth reading. You're not only hearing words as you read, but you feel as if you were there watching the scene unfold. That's what every reader wants! Escaping reality.
Hopefully, you've enjoyed this newsletter and I look forward to your comments.
'Til next time!
~ Gaby 
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Comments from my previous newsletter "Mystery Newsletter (January 4, 2017)"
Quick-Quill  wrote:
My new novel has a main character with PTSD. She was kidnapped for 4 months and tortured mentally and somewhat physically. Its been a little difficult to get people to talk about details of how they react.
That's definitely a tough subject to write about as well as to read. Having someone share their emotional state after something like that couldn't be easy I imagine. Baby steps, perhaps?
Good luck with it and thank you for reading my newsletter. 
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Mystery: January 25, 2017 Issue [#8097]
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