Engaging Readers Through Dialogue

There are many writing tools that an author uses to keep their readers engaged, but without dialogue, it would appear that the story is simply happening to the character superficially. The reader would have a difficult time getting to know the characters and understanding their personalities. But dialogue has many other uses besides helping you get to know the characters.

What does dialogue do?

Most likely, you have previously been given the advice “Show, don’t tell.” Dialogue is one way to do this. Readers do not want to be told what a character thinks or feels. They want to hear it in the characters’ own words. 

For instance:

• It can be used to demonstrate conflict through characters lies, disagreements, or threats.
• Creating suspense through dialogue is easily done by planting hints that foreshadow future events. This makes the readers wonder what will happen or even begin to guess or become concerned about a favorite character.
• It provides realism for readers by mirroring how people interact in everyday life.
• Dialogue can often be used to prompt a character to take some sort of action toward an ultimate goal.
• Conversation can help to fill in backstory in a creative way.
• It helps to pace the story, providing breaks between descriptions and the characters’ internal thoughts.

All of these uses of dialogue assist with moving the plot forward. The action in the narrative does not stop while the characters converse. Both narrative and dialogue work together to propel the story along. The reader will then become invested in the characters and the story.

How do I effectively use dialogue?

Create dialogue that feels authentic:

• Pay attention to character voice. Each character must have a style of their own. Just as you adjust the tone of your writing for your audience, your characters will reflect their own personality and the vocabulary used will illustrate their background and education.
• If you are writing a story in a specific era or cultural setting, be sure to do your research. If your characters are children, listen to how real children speak. Toddlers speak differently than teenagers. You will alienate readers if your story is not believable.
• Although you may be tempted to have your characters speak modern slang, you may want to reconsider. Slang is often not universally understood, which could substantially limit your readership.
• Use vocabulary wisely. Often, there is no need to use dialogue tags if the words effectively convey the situation.

Every line should serve a purpose/function:

• Dialogue should also be used to build or show relationships. The way that characters speak to each other shows whether they are in love, indifferent, or despise each other. It can show who is dominant and who defers to the other.
• In trying to use authentic language, you may use filler words such as adjectives and adverbs as we do in spoken language. Unfortunately, since your dialogue needs to propel the story forward, too many filler words can actually slow down the pace. Leave out unnecessary words!
• Find the right balance between dialogue and narrative. Too much dialogue can make your piece read like a screenplay. It’s all about pacing.
• While you may want to use dialogue to help explain what is happening in your story, keep this to a minimum. Be subtle in your explanations.
• Use dialogue to create tension and drama.
• Inner monologue can be useful to show a character’s thoughts and emotions, helping the reader get inside the character’s head. This makes the character more relatable.
• Don’t forget subtext. The underlying meaning in a character’s words, actions, or tone that is not explicitly stated is called subtext. As in everyday conversations, people don’t always say exactly what they mean. What is left unsaid often has more meaning than what is actually stated.

To sum up, dialogue plays a crucial part in developing a compelling narrative. Believe it or not, dialogue can make or break a story. Pay close attention during everyday conversations to increase your ability to write authentically. The more you write, the better you will become at bringing your characters to life.

Read your story out loud to yourself or have someone else read it to you. Does it sound natural? If not, experiment with various approaches in vocabulary and tone, change the purpose of the conversation, or add or delete dialogue tags. There is no “right” answer.

Happy conversation crafting! 

Heather Malone writes children’s books that focus mainly on Montessori education, special education, and nonfiction. She also dabbles in fiction. Her nonfiction book, Montessori from A to Z, was published in 2023, and her blog on homeschooling students with disabilities using the Montessori method can be viewed at spedmontessorisolutions.com. Her passion is education, which is evidenced by spending over twenty-five years in the field before leaving the classroom to now provide technical assistance to school districts. She lives with her husband and son in Ohio and enjoys traveling to new places in her free time.