Writing Better Part 6

INTERIOR MONOLOG

Long stretches of interior monolog can slow the plot if used incorrectly. However, in cases where dialog or exposition does not adequately convey the background meaning of the conversation, getting into your character’s head is the only recourse. It is especially important in situations where the individual character’s reactions to the conversation won’t necessarily be representative of humanity as a whole.

FICTIONAL DIALOG

Pay attention to four areas of speech:

01) Content - substance = style. What a character says is the most important aspect of dialog… dialog written out of necessity, determined by plot or circumstances, is primary content. Secondary content is carried along with the primary content, to convey character, but is not necessary to the story. (Example, mentioning an individual who never appears simply to point up an aspect of a major character’s personality or attitudes.);

02) Diction - word choice matters. A character’s choice of words reveals a lot about him - upbringing, personality, ethnicity, age gender, etc. English words generally derive from Latin or Anglo-Saxon roots; Latin terms generally sound more educated, and distancing - "I detest the odor of manure" - than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts - "I hate the smell of shit";

03) Grammar - grammatically correct dialog indicates a formal education. It can also indicate snootiness - a holier-than-thou attitude (think "Charles Emerson Winchester the Third" of "M.A.S.H.".) Or it can indicate accomplishment - a migrant farmer’s son who takes pride in his speech for having learned it on his own, for instance;

04) Length - length of dialog can show character as much as content. Terse, short speeches can suggest either strength of character (the "strong, silent type") or an antisocial personality, depending on context. Long, rambling speeches can suggest either indecisiveness (the new homeowner who can’t decide where to put her furniture), narcissism (the spoiled rich girl, in love with the sound of her own voice), or lack of focus, among other things. Again, context will explain which.

EXPOSITION/DESCRIPTION

INFORMATION SLEIGHT OF HAND

How to disguise exposition:

01) SHOW, DON’T TELL!;

02) Never have two characters say things to each other that they both already know just so the reader can get the facts, unless you…;

03) Yell! Cry! Laugh! - Cover exposition with emotion. The more bald the exposition, the greater the emotion must be to cover it;

04) Action can also cover exposition, with dull exposition requiring exciting action;

05) Make exposition outrageous and have the other characters laugh it off… they’re laughter covers the expository nature of the speech;

06) Spring a surprise;

07) Defuse a bomb - create a tense situation, which a character can diffuse with exposition disguised as small talk;

08) Invest the information with deeper meaning;

09) Make your characters anxious;

10) Make your characters late - if they are late, for whatever, they can rush… rushing builds energy, which can be used to cover exposition.