By Karen Hertzberg

When it comes to writing good dialog, I'm of a mind that some writers are just born with a gift for hearing the voices in their heads and taking good notes. If you're one of those people who knows how to channel their writerly schizophrenia, good for you. Believable dialog is a powerful tool--nothing moves a story along like people talking. But if you're struggling with stilted dialog, listen up. The tips I'm about to share will have the people in your head conversing in no time.

Do Some Creative Eavesdropping

The next time you're in a mall, restaurant, or any other public area, eavesdrop. Listen in on some conversations and get a feel for how real people talk, and what they talk about. This doesn't mean you're going to translate conversations you overhear into your writing word for word. For one, that could earn you a libel suit, but mostly, writing conversations exactly as they sound would bore the socks off your readers. We fill our conversations with a lot of nonsensical verbal flotsam--all those "ers" and "ums" and "ya knows." And we don't always talk about interesting stuff. But your fictional characters should.

So, if our conversations are generally dull, why listen to them? Because once you've been eavesdropping for a while, you'll develop a talent for rewriting conversations in your head to make them more vibrant and interesting. You'll also become more aware of the ways real people talk. We don't always speak in complete sentences, for instance, and not all of us use flawless grammar. Some of us have noticeable verbal ticks. No two people communicate in exactly the same way. We need to learn to use these quirks in our writing.

Make a Movie...

Who doesn't remember some famous lines from movies? We all have our favorites--from Casablanca's "Here's lookin' at you, kid" to Star Wars,' "May the Force be with you." Sure, there are plenty of movies that are mainly action-driven, and they have their place, but the ones we remember usually involve a lot of stirring dialog between characters. And even action movies have memorable dialog. Who doesn't remember Arnold Schwarzenegger droning, "I'll be back?"

When I write, I envision a movie. As the reel plays in my head and the characters interact, I write down what they're saying. When you start playing stenographer to the characters in your head--hungrily jotting down their words--you'll stop forcing them to talk and start listening.

Read Your Dialog Aloud

This step seems so obvious, but it's one many beginning writers skip--at their peril. We mistakenly believe that dialog is READ simply because it's printed on a page. While that's technically correct, there's another aspect we often overlook. Dialog is HEARD. Your readers are interpreting--hearing--the music of tones and inflections in their heads. As a writer, you've got to hear that dialog, too. The best way to hear it objectively is to read it out loud. If your dialog sounds phoney or flat when you read it to yourself, imagine how it sounds to your reader's delicate ear?

"Do You Use Funky Attributes?" she queried.

The world's safest attributes are "said" and "asked." If a character's stating something, he says it. If he's posing a question, he asks. It's pretty simple, and practically invisible. Readers aren't jarred when they read "said" and "asked." They tend to skim over the words as if they aren't there.

So why include attributes at all? For clarity, as necessary. You don't always have to follow up a line of dialog with he said/she said. More often than not, the reader knows who's speaking without an attribute. But when there's any doubt who's doing the talking, clear things up with "said" or "asked."

Can you use other attributes? Sure. But unusual attributes are like Tabasco sauce--a little goes a long way. There's no rule that says you can't spice up your dialog when you find a verb that really fits, especially if it helps your reader "hear" the line more clearly. Compare these lines of dialog:

"Give me a break," she grumbled. "Give me a break," she pleaded. "Give me a break," she giggled.

Each one means something different, and makes your reader "hear" something different in her head. When the attribute significantly changes the meaning of your line of dialog, or gives it more impact, go ahead and use it. Just don't make it too weird, and don't do it too often. Let your characters speak, and let your readers determine how their speech should sound. If you've done a good job of characterization and scene-setting, we'll know whether your fictional person is grumbling, pleading or giggling, without the attribute.

Don't Forget Action

Remember to break up dialog with action, which relieves you of having to use all those attributes. Write down your characters gestures and facial expressions. Make them move about and DO things as they speak. Odds are pretty good that your characters wouldn't just sit around staring at each other the whole time they're speaking. Let your characters actions reveal something about them. Does your villain have a creepy facial tic? Does grandpa quirk one fuzzy eyebrow when he asks a question? Does Aunt Bethany fidget nervously while she speaks? Give your characters life so they're not just talking heads.

Make Dialog Count

Make your dialog count for something! Make sure your characters' verbal interactions actually DO something for your story. You can write lines and lines of witty repartee, but if that dialog doesn't move your story forward, add to the conflict, or create drama and tension, you're going to bore your readers quickly. Gratuitous dialog is dull.

Let's go back to watching movies for a moment. The next time you're watching a movie--or even a television sitcom--pay attention to the dialog. Was there even ONE exchange of dialog in the show that didn't add something to thicken the plot? Wouldn't movies and television be boring if characters stood around making small talk?

"I remember 1943, when Papa died of pneumonia and we sold the farm to pay the bankers..."

Please, please, please don't use your character's dialog to fill in your back story. It's ridiculous. Even when characters legitimately discuss the past, they shouldn't throw in every little detail. People don't remember events that way. Your characters WILL tell a story, with your help, but please don't make them tell it all in one exchange of dialog.

"Good dialog is such a pleasure to come across while reading," says Anne Lamott in her book on writing, Bird by Bird. "Suddenly people are talking, and we find ourselves clipping along. And we have all the pleasures of voyeurism because the characters don't know we're listening." Your characters don't know that you, the writer, are listening, either--but listen you must. Whip out that steno pad and start taking notes for the voices in your head. Schizophrenia was never quite this fun!