3 Functions of Dialogue

3 Functions of Dialogue… Dialogue sets the rhythm and pattern of natural speech. If characters talk but say nothing, the story falls flat.

Dialogue defines characters. The way they address one another—answering a question with a question, trading banter, giving guarded answers, or firing off sharp remarks—shows who they are. This builds tension and adds conflict.

Dialogue lets the reader eavesdrop and observe what happens without explanation. It can slow or increase the pace, but it draws the reader closer to the action and places them in the scene.

Dialogue must do three things: advance the plot, change the pace, and define character. It must pull the reader toward the story’s resolution.

Ask these questions of your scene’s dialogue:

• Does each passage define or strengthen character?
  • Does it energize the scene?
  • Does it add mood and immediacy?
  • Does it shift the pace?
  • Does it move the plot forward?
  • Does it, as John Gardner says, create the fictional dream that lets the reader hear and see what happens without explanation?

If not, tweak until you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the moment.

https://youtube.com/shorts/DK6b09nvnts?feature=share