![]() Then finally ask yourself, “What is my character really trying to say here, that they’re not actually saying?” Point out words that you thought were pivotal to the character. Point out words they said that you don’t think they would ever say. Have them meet their boss to ask for a raise. Put them into highly emotional scenes and see what words, based on your references, come out. Make them break up with a significant other. Throw them into an argument in a grocery store with someone who stole the last jug of milk from them. Now that you have a basic understanding of the vocabulary of the character, test out their dialogue in minor scenes. The simple act of understanding my fictional character through concrete examples crystallized them in my mind. These words are a window to the type of person they are, the type of upbringing they had, the education level they come equipped with, what their hobbies are, their list of jargon words, their innate desires, their personality, and more.Īnd when I did this, I noticed that my immediate perception of the character, and my ability to imagine them in the scene, their hand movements, their physical ticks, their speech patterns, and place in my world, became a whole lot easier. This would form the basis of my understanding of this character and help me understand the unique set of vocabulary this character used, because every character, every person, is a walking dictionary with his or her own unique set of words. Thompson, Russell Brand, Jack Keruoac, and Holden Caulfield. He or she is a conglomeration of quotes and ideas all surrounding a relatively central theme. I wanted more characters to reference and more quotes, from a variety of sources, because that’s what a character is. ![]() I went and watched the film and wrote down key pieces of dialogue that I could reconstruct or use as a reference point for my own character. I was reminded of James Barris from A Scanner Darkly. That is, if you make a plot and stick characters into it and not vice versa, your character's actions will reveal the hand of an author in them, because to the reader they won’t feel genuine.Īnd the best starting point to understanding your character is simply listing what traits your character has, or what you want them to have.Ī supporting character of mine, in my upcoming novel WHAT WE DO ON WEEKENDS, is neurotic, philosophical, addicted to cocaine, and rambles. Understanding your characters is the cornerstone of good novel writing.Ī good plot is nowhere near as essential to a great novel because if you don’t understand your characters, the plot won’t unfold correctly because your character isn’t making decisions that are true to them. ![]() I’ve talked before about how you begin to explore true understanding of your character and all those facets of character exploration apply here. I didn’t understand either side of the conversation. I made them say what I wanted them to say, not what they would say, because I was only concerned with what I was going to say and what I was going to say was going to be PERFECT.īut the perfect thing wasn’t what I would say, either. Of course the conversations either didn’t take place or didn’t play out the way I imagined and there’s a mostly simple reason why: I didn’t understand the person I was imitating on the other end of the conversation. When I was a boy I used to stay up at night, playing out conversations in my head, going “then I say, then they say, then I say, then they say,” trying to parse out that perfect word or phrase, to show the world how quick and smooth I was. Great Dialogue Starts With Characterization. You know who they are, how they react, and why they react the way they do. You have to understand your characters at such a deep level that their words are second nature. It is to find these little sayings that express so much more than the words written on the page. Your job as a writer is to create dialogue that no one in the world could say but your character. They create a lasting impression on the reader or viewer on who the character was, embodying both physical, mental and vocal characteristics. The dialogue quoted above are perennial quotes that do something more for the characters who said it than simply express information. Holden Caulfield: “People are always ruining things for you.” ![]() Rick Blaine: “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” Jerry Seinfeld: “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
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