Dialogue is like a spice that accentuates the flavour of your writing. It makes visible your character’s personality, drawing attention to it like colourful paint. It is fun to write and engaging to read.
However, it should not be the main technique you use in your toolbox of skills. Use dialogue in moderation. If you use it in every paragraph, you will face the following drawbacks:
- You will find it hard to punctuate direct speech correctly.
- Your story becomes stale because your reader will expect your characters to speak.
- Your dialogue becomes forgettable because the impact is reduced if you overuse it.
My suggestion is to use dialogue only once or twice in your entire composition. Leverage the chance to reveal something insightful about your character. What is unique about the way he or she thinks and feels? Use dialogue as a means to blow your reader away. Catch them by surprise. Make them empathise with your characters.
I hereby exclaim, “Make your dialogue count!”
Oh, don’t be afraid to start a new line when you use dialogue. See above ☝🏻. Give some space to your characters’ words. Make it easy for your reader to connect with your writing.
