Dialogues written for fictional stories are more
than talk. They are coherent and more structured. In addition, writers used these story conversations between characters to reveal the emotions, goals, and motivations of the people in their fictional world.
The conversation between two friends (Jim and Martha) who are waiting at a bus station might progress as follows:
Jim: "Am, am, look, an M40 is coming.”
Martha: "No, no, wait a minute, let's see. I mean, I think it's the M41."
Jim: "Am, let me look again. I really believe it's an M40."
Martha: "Am, am, you might be right. I mean, um, I can't see that far."
Jim: "Am, I'm sure. I'm almost certain it's an M40."
Martha: "Am, am. What I'm trying to say, is you must have 20/20 vision."
Jim:"Well, ah, am, I don't know about that."
Martha: "All right, okay, it's getting closer. It seems... let me be sure. Yes. You were right all along. It's an M40. Let me get my MetroCard."
The following is one of the ways writers might rewrite the preceding conversation for a piece of fiction:
"An M40 is coming," Martha said.
"No, no, I think it's the M41."
"You must have 20/20 vision if you can see that far."
"I don't know about that. It looks like the M40 to me."
"Now that it's a little closer, you're right, it's the M40," Jim said, reaching for his
MetroCard.
There are seven things to know about fictional dialogues.
1. They are the words between the open and close quotation marks.
2. They are followed by commas in front of the close quotation marks.
3. The names of the speakers and the word "said” – also called dialogue tag -- follow
the close quotation marks.
Example: "An M40 is coming, Martha said.
4. They are used to speed up actions in scenes, unlike narrative summaries, which
slowdown the pace of scenes.
5. They give readers information about characters and move along story plots.
6. The dialogue for each speaker is on a separate line.
7. They break up blocks of text on a page, making it easier for the eyes to read.
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