Let's Talk About...Dialogue

With each story I write, I become more enthusiastic. Blame it on the thrill of the unknown. How the characters and plot develop and overcome the obstacles I deal them. What happens if I decide to make the book’s setting become antagonistic and temporarily thwart the goals of my hero and heroine? How can I keep upping the ante on the conflict to deliver the maximum reader impact? Will the universalities and theme I’ve chosen resonate with readers?

All of these are things I consider during the writing and editing process, but one element of storytelling sparks my greatest passion—dialogue. Whether my tale is told from the Louisiana bayou, a small town in Texas, an otherworld teeming with demons and despicable characters, or the Lower Eastside of Manhattan during the Jazz Age when speakeasies and corruption reigned supreme, the people who live on the fictional pages must deliver convincing dialogue.

My research for dialogue involves acute listening skills and observation of body language. Whenever I’m out and about, or even when I’m lunching with family and friends, I make note of mannerisms, personalities and speech patterns. How emotions play a huge role in a person’s gestures, tone and message content. Some men are excellent conversationalists, but most are subdued and speak far fewer words than we women. Most women can’t stand the silent treatment. The way my heroes and heroines speak also hinges on how I’ve scripted them. During the editing process, I read each character’s dialogue passages aloud. If they have a speech quirk, impediment, dialect or accent, I recognize these when playing their role. In essence, although we authors are writing fiction, we strive to make our characters believable and ones to whom readers can relate. For example, rugged guys don’t think about the way golden waves of a woman’s hair skim her forehead when they’re looking at her for the first time. Doting, far-from-Alpha men don’t swagger and spout profanities. A cowboy wouldn’t think about how much he adored a woman’s crimson frock or patent-leather aubergine satchel with eye-catching kiss-lock closures and stunning hardware, and he wouldn’t talk about the same, either.

When all is said and done, much like cathedral bells, dialogue must ring true. What are your thoughts on dialogue and the role it plays in the romances you read? Can you “hear” the characters speaking as you read their story?

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
TORMENTED -- Ellora's Cave (Must-Read from Dark Angel Reviews)
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora' Cave Exotika
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave Exotika
TO HELLE AND BACK AGAIN -- Coming April 29 to EC Exotika
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Words Truer to Character Were Never Spoken

Writing is one of my great passions. Creating those fantasy worlds and fictional characters brings a great deal of pleasure. Time passes quickly as words become sentences and sentences become paragraphs. I enjoy reading and writing both character- and plot-driven romance fiction novels. Sometimes the plot must take charge and propel the action, narrative and dialogue toward a satisfying ending. At other times, characters grab hold of the wheel and steer the story in a direction that will guarantee them and their romance a happily ever after. Regardless of which method is used, authors strive to engage and endear their readers. If a reader loses interest early on, doesn’t notice the characters growing and overcoming obstacles, the page-turning pact is broken.

I’ll admit likeable and memorable characters are the prime reason I’ll put an author on my auto-buy list. And while characters are involved in a fair amount of action throughout those tales, it’s also what they say that remains with me long after I close the pdf file or paper/hardback cover. My favorite lines of dialogue were spoken by the fictional man I consider the perfect hero prototype—Atticus Finch. My next favorite line is from a completely different prototype—Forrest Gump. Many will recall him sitting on the park bench and uttering the famous words comparing life to a box of chocolates. Dialogue was perfectly tailored to both of these characters. Fit them as well as their own fictional skin. No other words would have worked as well, in my opinion.

Share your favorite line(s) of dialogue with us, readers. Let us know what makes them memorable.

Feel the heat in erotic fiction,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER – Ellora’s Cave
HELLE IN HEELS – Ellora’s Cave
Shawna’s Myspace
Helle’s Myspace