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Removing blah, blah, blah: Editor's Notes #291 July 11, 2019 |
| Hello, but what he whispers. —Logan Pearsall Smith In this issue: 1. Removing blah, blah, blah 2. Tickled my funny bone 3. Interesting Web site 4. Writing prompt 1. Removing blah, blah, blah Sometimes you need snappy dialogue; sometimes you need a long, slow debate; sometimes you need action. Whatever you use, make it reveal something the reader needs. First draft dialogue often comes across as blah, blah, blah because we tend to write the way we and our friends talk. While dialogue should sound realistic, good dialogue needs the hand of an artist to move beyond a transcription of everyday speech. The talk bubble in cartoons that says, "Blah, blah, blah," shows what inconsequential dialogue sounds like to readers. To remove the blah, blah, blah effect, take out anything that does not move the story forward or does not set a scene or does not change or intensify the mood. Combine the dialogue with consequential action. If the heroine flips her hair, is it just a movement for its own sake, or is she flirting or angry? If a character sips tea, does he do so simply because the writer thinks some action is called for or because he’s chilled to the bone and needs sweet, milky tea to revive him? One of my favourite actions with dialogue that definitely removes the sense of blah, blah, blah has the eyes of one of George Eliot’s characters following the quilling on the bonnet of the woman she is speaking to. Without saying so, George Eliot puts the conversation into the context of the disparate social situations of the women, leading to multiple levels of meaning to the conversation. Not every conversation can or should be bolstered by such a clever image, but when you can use an action that adds so much to the reader’s understanding of the situation, your writing becomes indelibly satisfying to your readers. =========== 2.Tickled my funny bone Test answer from a student: Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline. =========== 3. Interesting Web site The link below shows multiple examples of successfully using dialogue with and without action. https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/write-first-chapter-get-started/how-to-balance-action-narrative-and-dialogue-in-your-novel/ =========== 4. Writing prompt Keep your ears open for snippets of dialogue around you. Rewrite one conversation to remove the blah, blah, blah. I’d love to see your result. =========== Join Writer's Helper Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WritersHelperEditor Follow me on Twitter @AudreytheEditor Link on LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/audreyowen (Email me first so I know how you know me.) =========== If you know a writer who would appreciate receiving Editor's Notes, forward this issue. If someone has passed this on to you, you can get your own free subscription by signing up at https://www.writershelper.com/newsletter.html |
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