How+to+talk

**Creating a vivid sense of the dialogue** // “Let’s go.” I said. // // “We can’t.” Didi said. // // “Why not?” I asked. // // “We are waiting for Godot.” Didi answered. // What does the dialogue above tell you? Didi and the narrator are waiting for someone called Godot. They cannot leave until Godot arrives. However, this dialogue does not give us very much more information, or add to the mood of the story. When you are writing dialogues in your story, try to make the dialogue interesting by giving the reader details about what the dialogue **feels** like. It is not enough to give the content of the conversation. Read the dialogue below:

// “Let’s go.” I said, stretching and stifling a yawn. // // “We can’t.” Didi sighed wearily. // // “Why not?” // // Didi frowned, pausing before giving the obvious answer to my question. // // “We are waiting for Godot!” // What is different? Now, we know that the narrator is bored and tired. There is some irritation between the two characters, as we can see from Didi's frown. Why does Didi feel impatient at the narrator? This is probably because both characters know that they can’t leave without Godot. It seems then that Godot is quite an important person.

What changes have been made to the dialogue to add these details? “Run!” **barked** the commander. “Sleep, baby.” Mother **whispered**. “I don’t want to go home!” **wailed** the brat. “We can’t.” John sighed **wearily**. “Is he in?” Jill asked **eagerly** “I’m sorry,” he murmured **quietly**. “I’ll be right back!” I said to my friends, **mad with anxiety**. “We can’t.” Didi sighed wearily. “Why not?”
 * Instead of always using the verb ‘said’, use other verbs to express the mood of the speech
 * Add descriptive words tell the reader how the characters are speaking
 * Add actions to the lines.
 * Standing by the door, waving vigorously **, Jill called to Daddy, “Come back early for dinner tonight.”
 * As you can see, the second line doesn’t have a speaker. This is because there are only two speakers in the conversation. In this case, leaving out the “I asked” makes the dialogue move forward faster. Make sure though that the reader can always tell who is speaking.

These are only some suggested ways to improve dialogue. Use your imagination and observation to make your dialogues more vivid.