Welcome back to my blog. The picture above I listed two tricks to help you come up with dialogue. There are many books on writing dialogue, two of those that come to mind are Busy Writer’s Guide to Writing Dialogue by Marcy Kennedy and How To Write Dazzling Dialogue By James Scott Bell.

Those are two of the best ones I’ve read on the subject of writing dialogue.

To use the tips that I have spelled out in the picture above there are several ways to do so.

First, carry a notebook and pen around you wherever you go. Then when and idea pops into your head for something a character might say quickly write it down. Then come up with ten possible responses that another character might say. Sometimes your first thought is your best, sometimes it’s not. You could also use the memo feature on your smart phone or the email on your smart phone and email the dialogue to yourself.

I’ve done all of those myself, the paper notebook, memo app on my smart phone and emailing things to myself. The notebook is still recommended though. When I worked for a private security guard company we weren’t allowed to use our smart phones when on the shift. A lot of clients would report a guard to the company for doing so. That was why I used the notebook because as a security guard a notebook was part of the gear we always had to carry with us. So using a separate notebook made it look like I wasn’t doing any personal work on company time.

Another way to use the first trick is to use a paper pad, or anything else, while on breaks at work. Your jobs does allow you to take lunch doesn’t it? That’s the perfect time to get in some practice writing dialogue.

You could also set aside some free time during your day when not at work and not doing anything else or dedicate some of your writing time to working on practicing dialogue.

For the second trick on listening to how people talk, above all else don’t record people without their permission. That’s illegal. You might know that already, but you’d be surprised as to how many people would try something like that.

Simply listen in, to what people are saying and how they are saying it. Once while standing in line at a store I heard one guy bragging to his friend about how he could talk his way into any bar in the city – even though he was underage. This gave me an idea for a character – one I haven’t yet had cause to use in a story – and how some people will talk.

I hope these ideas help you in your own dialogue. Make it a great day.