The mistakes to avoid absolutely in the dialogues

Nothing can ruin a book faster than bad dialogue. Dialogue, when well written, reveals character, makes sense of place, builds tension, excites, and moves the plot forward. In a previous article I shared with you some tips to be able to write better dialogues, today I want to talk to you about the mistakes to avoid absolutely in writing a dialogue. These are the most frequent mistakes, committed above all by young writers, and they are more common than one might think.

Sounds too everyday

Everyday conversations aren't the most compelling. Many are crammed with filler words and phrases ("um," "you know," "I understand," and the dreaded "like") and repetitions to explain a concept.

Daily conversation can also consist of small talk about things that no one really cares about, including the weather. Writing dialogue that sounds too much like a thousand everyday conversations will only bore your readers.

“I heard it's supposed to rain tomorrow,” Cheryl said.

"You know, I felt it too," Frank said.

"Um, do you think we should pack an umbrella?" Cheryl said.

“I mean, if it says rain is in the forecast I think we should,” Frank said.

This sample dialogue might look like a real conversation, but it's definitely not fun to read. It sounds too cheesy and filler words make it awkward. Make sure the conversation is there to help move the story forward rather than keeping it stuck on the weather forecast.

Use the author's voice

When your dialogue sounds more like you, the author, rather than your character, the reader senses it.

This type of dialogue makes it too "on the nose" for the reader without allowing him to discover the character's intentions for himself.

For example, a character telling someone how they feel ("I'm so mad at you") isn't as exciting as showing how this character feels. Someone who is angry with another might show it by interrupting the other person when they are speaking or only replying in one-word sentences.

Let the real voice of your characters stand out in the dialogue to reveal their intentions more naturally.

The characters all have the same tone

No one wants to read a book where all the characters speak the same way. A conversation where everyone has similar word patterns and vocabulary, with no real change in tone or pronunciation, is not exciting.

"I told you I was mad at you," she said.

"I still don't understand why," he said.

Both characters above have a similar monotonous voice with no real emotion behind what they are saying. It showcases each character's unique personality with a distinctive voice for each, keeping the conversation interesting and making it easy for the reader to tell who is speaking.

Useless monologues

Characters have a lot to say, as we've seen in this article , but that doesn't mean they have to go on and on without any interruptions. A character's dialogue that continues for a page or more is too dense for a reader to be interested in.

“Me for one, I'm not thrilled with this trip. I don't want to see Danny standing there with another woman on his arm. How should I deal with it? Why didn't anyone take my feelings into consideration when booking this trip? I'm a recently single 40-year-old woman with no new prospects. How do I feel better about myself when Danny's there with someone new and I'm there all alone? Yes, I know, you're here too, Amy, but come on. It's not the same and you know it. I'm all alone. I will always be alone. Oh please don't look at me like that. You know I'll die alone..."

This one above isn't terribly long but it's long enough, and if it continues for a page and a half, you might lose the reader with this character's ramblings.

Monologues work for comedies but not so much in novels. The same goes for interior monologues. Too much internalizing is a big buzzkill. Monologues of any kind, as we've seen , should be broken up with action and conversation.

Tension-free dialogue

A conversation without any tension goes nowhere and is pretty meaningless to your story. This type of dialogue is also boring to read. An example:

"It's a nice chair," Dave said.

"Thanks," Laura said.

"It's new?"

"NO. I bought it years ago.

Nobody cares how beautiful the chair is unless there is some meaning behind it. It would be different if Dave was looking at the chair with the intent to use it as a weapon on Laura.

This would cause tension and help move the story forward, which is what good dialogue should do.

Dialogue without action

When people speak in conversation, they usually don't just stand still. They fidget or fold their arms, perhaps touching their chins or brushing their hair away from their faces. If the characters were Italian or Neapolitan, gestures would be an integral part of their way of expressing themselves. It's essential, it's part of their culture.

Characters should also not speak without moving. It's not natural and it's not interesting.

"Nice to see you," Alex said.

"Same for you," Gina said.

“You look good,” Alex said.

"You too," Gina said.

It's clear that Alex and Gina haven't seen each other in a while, but aren't there any actions to show how they truly feel about this interaction? Are they anxious? happy? We don't know because their body language tells us nothing.

When you add movement and action to the conversation, you're able to show emotion and interaction with your characters so they come to life and are relatable.

No stakes

Stakes in a story not only help build tension, they also help build character. Without the stakes we don't know what the character wants or is trying to achieve, so we may not truly understand their actions or the focus of the story.

"What are you doing here?" the woman said.

"I don't know," the man said.

"But why did you come now?"

"I'm not really sure."

The man in the conversation above must have been visiting the woman for some reason, although it's not clear to him why. While the woman in the story may not need to know why the man has come to see her, the reader should understand his intentions.

When the stakes are clear, we are able to connect with the character and possibly cheer them on to get what they want.

Too much dialect

While it's important to use dialect markers to make your character unique, show his personality and where he comes from, it's best not to overdo it.

"Better not think who's feeding you," she said.

"But they've all come to dinner, Grandma," she said.

"Hold the horses now," he said. "You'd better think about going out to dinner."

There are too many "y'alls" in the above conversation that it gets repetitive and boring. Show your character's ethnicity with their dialogue, but do so using dialect markers sparingly. Your reader will understand it without it being forced upon them

Explanations in the dialogue

Yes, some background information about your character, setting, and story is fine, but having too much is likely to alienate your audience. No one wants to read all the backstories. They want to find out as it unfolds on the page.

Using dialogue to provide too much explanation causes you to tell the story rather than show it in a scene.

“Beth has been my best friend since childhood. She is tall and slim with brown hair and is never afraid to use her good looks to get what she wants. At prom, she made all the boys swoon with that blue dress she wore. She's always been very flirtatious with everyone, and if she doesn't like you, be careful."

All of the above information could have been written into a scene and also used in a conversation with another character rather than an overexplaining person.

Finding that sweet spot in the exposition just enough to provide the necessary information without boring the reader can be challenging but it's definitely not impossible. Find ways to weave background information throughout the story rather than dumping it all at once.

Don't trust your reader

When you use dialogue to give too much information to the reader, you are explaining everything to them, not trusting that they will find out for themselves.

A common example of this is when one character refers to something from the past to another character: "Claire, remember the time we escaped from the ward."

Sure, Claire remembers that moment, but the reader isn't familiar with it. By explaining this incident (which appears to be a big deal since it involves running away from a ward), it detracts from the story. A reader wants to discover the character's secrets, relationships, and past on their own, not for the author to tell them about it.

Use of fancy dialogue tags

Dialog tags can be tricky. While they help associate the speaker, they can be a bit redundant or off-putting if used incorrectly. Here's the thing to remember: Dialog tags are meant to blend in. You want the reader to focus on what is being said, not the dialogue tag itself.

“Amy, you're out of your mind if you think I will,” Sarah snapped.

"Why not?" Amy inhaled.

When it comes to dialog tags, it's best to keep it simple. Stick to the traditional "said" rather than trying to get creative with tags like "exclaimed" or "expressed."

Dialogue not read aloud

A reader understands this when a writer has never read their dialogue aloud.

They look clumsy. Artificial. The reader will not believe that any human being would ever say such a thing.

Reading your work aloud helps you hear what it sounds like rather than how you think it sounds in your head.

“I always thought I would love you but when I saw you last night after all this time I realized I don't feel the same way and I hope you don't hate me and I hope you don't think I've never loved you before because i did.

The sentence above is too long and verbose, it is breathless. When reading your dialogue aloud, check to see if there are pauses where there should be and that your lines are clean and direct.

The characters never stop

In real life, most people aren't polite, they don't wait their turn to speak, but they interrupt the speaker to take the floor.

Your characters should also not be overly polite when they speak.

"I'm so glad we don't have him as mayor anymore," she said. "It was awful."

"It wasn't that bad," she said.

"Wasn't it bad?" She said. "How could you say such a thing?"

"He looked fine."

"I don't understand you at all."

The conversation above would have been much more heated had it taken place in real life. There would probably be interruptions that included yelling and interrupting each other. Don't be afraid to show your characters true colors.

Never use silence

When writing dialogue, don't underestimate the power of silence.

While what someone says and how they say it is important, silence can have the same impact in the right context. When silence isn't used when it should have been, it can carry on an unnecessary conversation or reveal too much too soon.

"You never loved me," she said.

"I did," he said.

"But why would you do what you did then?"

"I am sorry."

The "I did it" line above is useless. It would be much better if the man said nothing in response, but did something instead.

Leaving things unsaid is a great way to approach complex emotions without making the conversation feel trivial and artificial.

Use dialogue when not needed

Often, we feel that using dialogue can be better than summary because it helps build a scene. This is true, however, you don't have to use dialogue just to use it. Dialogue needs a purpose beyond just being used to build a scene:

“Mom, do you remember the time we went to the beach when I was a kid? And did I have sand in my eyes?"

"I remember."

"I always think about that when I go to the beach."

The exchange above could have been summed up in one short sentence while the character was at the beach, rubbing his eyes. When the dialogue doesn't advance the plot or offer any real insight into the characters, the summary might work better, if you need this information.

The dialogue is forced

As writers, we deeply appreciate written language, that's why we do what we do. And while we appreciate prose fiction for its beautiful literary and poetic lines, we have to be honest: Most people don't speak that way in conversation.

“Because I'm just a simple man, Maddie. I long for the snow-covered mountains on a cool winter day. The sky, clear of clouds, tinted blue like Robin's egg. I want to warm my hands, but with the fire crackling in the corner of a warm chalet, isn't it?

Make sure you don't try too hard to sound overly literary when writing dialogue for your characters. Leave it for the narrative in your novel, and let your literary skills shine when describing a place or an emotion, rather than in conversation.

Don't observe how real people talk

If you're writing dialogue the way you think it should sound rather than using actual observations, you're doing it all wrong. You might be surprised at what you hear. For example, people usually don't call each other by first name when speaking:

"I thought we were best friends, Sarah," Sammie said.

"You were so wrong, Sammie," Sarah said.

Get inspired by sitting in a cafe and listening to how others talk to each other. Use a similar voice or mannerisms from someone in your real life to get inspiration for a character in your writing.

Reading the wrong books

You're a writer, so you already know how important reading is to your craft. However, if you're not reading books that inspire the writing style you want to achieve, you're not reading the right books. If you're writing adult fiction, you probably don't want to read And Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss (unless you're reading it to your child in bed):

“Stop telling such outlandish stories. Stop turning little fish into whales.

Try reading from the greats, like Toni Morrison and John Steinbeck for inspiration on how to write good dialogue . Be sure to also read books in your genre to see how published authors have done it, and use that as fuel for your own work.

Overboard on references and slang

If you use the coolest phrases on the street, your writing will look dated in a few years.

Too many modern references, such as the latest iPhone, tablet or cryptocurrency, also don't work well. If you want to keep your novel ageless so your reader will go back time after time, it's best to keep modern slang and references to a minimum.

Don't personalize the dialogue

It's nice to write a dialogue that seems to come from one place: the regional dialogue.

Omitting it makes the characters seem subtle and fake, because the dialogue doesn't match their background.

For example, a London woman may use the term "dapper" to describe a smartly dressed man, while an American woman may say the man looks "handsome."

You can include some character idioms or sayings that help show who they are and where they come from. Just don't overdo it.

No voice change

In real life, no voice sounds the same in conversation. Even the dialogue in a story shouldn't sound the same.

Without any change in voice, there is no difference in volume, pitch or speed that feels natural. For example, a reader won't know that a conversation is heightened by tension or emotion without a change in voice:

“I thought you said this was the last time we'd catch you shoplifting,” she said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, did it just happen?" she said.

"Did that just happen?" he said. "How did you steal $10,000 from the company?"

"I couldn't help it," she said. “I really needed the money. I am sorry."

"Are you sorry?" he said. “Is that all you can say? Are you sorry?"

"YES."

The conversation above is devoid of any voice changes from either character, making what could be a compelling scene not very exciting. Voice change helps a reader understand that something might be going on with a character or in a scene that hasn't been explained yet, keeping them eager to move on to see what happens next.