In this article ❧ learn how scenes are combinations of Dramatic action (units of action and reaction) and Dialogue, pointless conversation destroys a novel, and the aftermath of good dialogue is conflict.

The main tools to get the audience past the first chapters of a novel (or the first twenty minutes of a movie) are dialogue and action. Dialogue --the most basic form of action-- prepares the public for sequences of action: a road of trials the hero and his sidekicks have to face to accomplish something they need or want (the question of the adventure). Scenes are combinations of Dramatic action (units of action and reaction) and Dialogue.

It is a mistake to see movies and novels dialog as of the same class as life dialog. Ordinary interaction is mainly a way to sprout the social order, refresh the bonds, and create cooperation (that is why most real-life conversation is boring for non-participants, since they have no interests or stakes in the situation). Secondarily, the real-life dialog could entertain, but aside a combination of other things (the social order).

What is Dialog in a Good Piece of Fiction

Fiction dialogue has altogether different purposes. Sharing pointless conversation destroys a novel, and imitating social integration through dialog destroys a movie (except for some author movies standing on a grant).

Fiction interaction is a simulation whose purpose is to get the story forward (or delay the climax): it is a reinforcer of page-turning. From this entertaining perspective, the dialog is an external stimulus to detonate, focus, and keep the audience's attention on our product.

Jane Austen wrote: "Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.". Well, it is not a surprise that the aftermath of good dialogue is conflict. And right here, we remember that inner peace and integration are an achievement of the whole piece of fiction (call to action, the road of trials, return with victory) far from being an effect of a realistic or intellectual experience. So, we do not exaggerate by posing the following schema for fiction: conflict-dialogue-conflict--conflict-dialogue-conflict--conflict--conflict-dialogue-conflict-poetic justice.

The Worst Dialog in Movies and Novels: Don't Do This

As Chester noticed, “When characters tell each other things that they both already know, simply for the benefit of readers, that’s an offense known as the dialogue of information." This kind of chat reveals several flaws. i) The author is not taking enough care of the reader, who needs action to develop a prolific identification with the heroine. ii) The writer is not aware of the characteristics of contemporary readers, such as tons of experience with storytelling (thanks to literacy rates, tv, movies, the Internet, and streaming). iii) He lacks imagination and diligence to tailor each part of the novel (as a result, the book is a quilt made out of patches and different qualities).

What is the solution? Deborah Chester put it simply: a natural discovery of the fictional world results from discussions about solving the plot problems. So do you want to disclose something? Invent a problem whose solution requires the feature you need to share.

Style in Dialog

Authors use different styles to help readers to distinguish among characters and also to propping up character development. That is fine. Some writers exaggerate by using complicated systems of slang or old-fashioned elements.

My insight: Be simple. For example, if you choose to go the old-fashioned way: “The key is to choose one old-fashioned element but keep everything else more modern" (Chester).

Slangs in fiction? I’m tellin’ ya shouldna cause slang is trendy and dated. Shakespeare’s Renaissance expressions remain, so, if needed, use long-lived slang.

And have consideration for your readers by breaking into a new paragraph for each different speaker.

• Most real-life dialog is boring for non-participants.
• Fiction dialogue is for sharing meaningful conversations (in fiction, this means going straight to the point and advancing the story).
• Fiction interaction is a simulation of real-life dialog to get the story rolling (or delay the climax)
• Fictional dialog is a reinforcer of page-turning.
• The aftermath of good dialogue is conflict.
• Dialog advances the plot by stating the scene's goal.
• Knowledge of the fictional World? Results from a discussion about solving the plot problems.
• Dialog bickering is for side characters because it seldom advances the story.
• The reader should not backtrack across dialogs to figure out what's happening.
• YOUR CHARACTERS NEITHER EAT NOR LISTEN TO STORIES, for that's boring.

Dialog's Best Friends

To write compelling dialog, you need to connect and shorten your text without missing plot events: narrative.

When to use narrative:

• In general, these have to do with jumps in space or time or reasoning to some extent.
• Within sequels (the moment to ponder the aftermath of a scene).
• Quick transitions
• Moving characters to new locations
• Condense long journeys
• Shorten less dramatic or no-dramatic scenes (dramatic actions are units of action and reaction).
• Skip chunks of time
• When you need small doses of complex information (recall not to flood readers with lots.)

Another prop is pace, the rhythm taking the reader once at a time through the novel. It is everywhere. Think about music: does it make sense to speed up a Taylor Swift ballad? Does it make sense to slow down a Mozart overture or a finale? Some things may damage or improve the pace of fiction too.

Most of the time, descriptions slow down and make readers yawn. They should be short and scattered. However, a good one could help build suspense before action befalls the hero. Why? Anticipation: something weird is looming, and readers feel that danger is coming in the texture a description is telling. If the writer can't stretch out tension, it means she has laid enough anxiety for the reader. READERS LOVE ANTICIPATION. Don't rush this description, do internalization, describe the sunset, noises, temperature, etcetera.

Pace has many faces

There are several types of stories integrated into a novel.

• The ongoing story.
• Back Story: supplies motivation to characters when the story relies heavily on character development. It is the history of The World, the characters' past. It's not cultural history but a plot twist coming from the character's past. For example, in Harry Potter, professor Snape has flashbacks to show why his past makes him despise Harry.
• The hidden story: absent characters are not frozen: what is happening to them is a resource.
• The Hidden story is more important than the back story. Why? Because it makes plausible each step in the main storyline.
• The hidden story let me know the origin of the trouble to come.
• The hidden story is a source of twists. Finally, it is handy for the dismal middle, when, for example, one can shift into the antagonist for the first time and reveals a lot to the readers.
• You can build the back story on the go.
• in contrast, you don't share the hidden story directly.