Dialogue has been difficult to hone. I am not one to tender a loquacious tongue even with dear friends. Gab has never been a human component I effectively employ. So how do I overcome this shortcoming? Really get to know my characters. I have found that doing the deep exploration of who they are and what they want helps bring out their voices. For many drafts, my characters sounded like similar versions of the same person. Once I went back and did the foundational work, character dialogue improved dramatically.

Now, this might sound obvious to some of you, but giving each character an agenda helps a great deal. And that’s how people are. Everyone has an agenda. Everyone operates on their own timeline. Their psyche manifests in different ways. It was definitely a “duh” moment but once I realized it, it made things all the better. Clarifying their long-term agendas then pitting it against their moment-to-moment agendas, makes for a much more interesting dynamic within and between characters. Motive is the driving force for character. And, to create good internal conflict, I’ll pit that larger agenda against what’s happening within the scene.

For example, a supporting character wants to remove himself from a situation, but the main character forces him to stay in one place. Each character bumps up against one another, creates conflict, and produces interesting dialogue between the two complete with distinct voice and building tension.

When it comes to writing a book, there’s a process involved in translating our natural instincts into actual practice. For me, dialogue was difficult to translate. But I realized I needed clear character agendas. We all know that people have “minds of their own” but it’s difficult to actually put that to page and make it entertaining and understandable. You develop that sense of living outside one’s self and try to think as if someone else would in a particular situation. It took considerable time for me to develop that sense. The ultimate hope is the reader finds the story engrossing and can follow along with impediment.