types of dialogue
(from Robert Rosenberg’s lesson “Using Summary, Indirect, and Direct Dialogue,” in Bret Anthony Johnston’s book Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer)
One of the challenges of writing dialogue is balancing naturalism (how conversations really sound) with dramatic effectiveness. Real conversations can include quite a lot of dull back-and-forth that doesn’t play well on the page.
This presents some problems when you’re trying to write a scene with important dialogue in it. Say you’re trying to write a scene of a couple going out to dinner and then breaking up. If you want to make the dialogue seem natural, you might start by writing an exchange like this:
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“You look nice tonight.”
“Thanks.”
“Would you like some wine?”
“I’d love some.”
“Red or white?”
“Red.”
All very naturalistic, but kind of snoozy, right?
However, if you jumped into the scene right in the midst of the break-up conversation, the scene might feel unrealistic or melodramatic:
“It’s over between us.”
“What!”
“I’m sick of your drinking and your smugness. This is the last straw.”
“How dare you! If it weren’t for me, you’d still be working in a gas station in Salinas.”
So how do you balance naturalism with drama—and also stay concise?
A good method is to utilize three different types of dialogue.
DIALOGUE TYPES
•Summary
•Indirect dialogue
•Direct dialogue
Here’s an example of a scene that uses all three types:
He was complaining the whole time about his utter exhaustion in Chiang Mai, about the steamy afternoon rains, about the exhaust-filled air. {summary}
The heat was killing him. He said his throat was permanently sore. He’d give it five more days, and then he was out of here. {indirect dialogue}
“You’ll regret leaving so soon,” she warned him.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t think so at all.” {direct dialogue}
And here’s another example:
Maya said that whenever they had people in for dinner or the evening, Raymond would pick out beforehand all the records he thought suitable and put them in a suitable order. {indirect dialogue}
“I think sometime he’ll hand out conversational topics at the door,” Maya said. {direct dialogue}
Georgia revealed that Ben wrote a letter every week to the great-aunt who had sent him to school. {indirect dialogue}
“Is it a nice letter?” said Maya. {direct dialogue}
“Yes. Oh, yes. It’s very nice.” {direct dialogue}
They looked at each other bleakly, and laughed. Then they announced—they admitted—what weighed on them. It was the innocence of these husbands—the hearty, decent, firm, contented innocence. That is a wearying and finally discouraging thing. {summary}
–”Differently,” by Alice Munro
EXERCISE
In a scene of your work-in-progress, look again at a conversation between two characters.
In it, instead of trying to convey everything in direct dialogue, see if a balance of summarized dialogue, indirect dialogue, and direct dialogue will improve the pacing and interest level of the conversation.
