Home > Articles > My Articles
	Shoot The Talking Heads...
	by Susan Molthop

Revised August 3, 2007

... and make room for some REAL dialogue.

Have you ever been cornered at a party, on the phone, or at an interview, by someone who was truly BORING? A friend of mine has a T-shirt that says "I'm talking and I can't shut up." Don't let YOUR characters turn readers off when they open their mouths.

On the other hand, think about the most popular people you know. Popularity = personality. That's the first and easiest lesson to learn. Give your characters distinct personalities. Make sure you can tell which one is speaking without looking at the attributes. I just finished reading a novel where one of the characters said "Well I'll be go to hell." That's not something you hear very often. I liked it until another character used the same phrase, later on in the book. That's when I knew it was the author speaking, not the characters. Here are a few tips to make your characters into unique individuals.

Let one of your supporting characters come from this list and almost always stay in character. Your readers will come to expect a typical response from this person. Then, when you need a little emphasis, have this character do the unexpected. When a "yes man" suddenly says "no", it weighs a lot more than when an old grump says it.

One of your characters might always drop her "g"s (nothin', helpin', runnin', etc.). Someone else might see everything in life as it relates to cars (sex, music, computers, etc.). Another individual might choose to express herself in a manner best described as pompous. (This should be a VERY minor character.) Here is Debra Dixon's article on how to Give Your Characters Their Own Voice.

Remember, your character isn't reading a script -- he's ALIVE. If the situation is tense, he might be pacing, looking for a car to come down the road, glancing at the clock, running his fingers through his hair -- all while carrying on a conversation with another character. Not only does this bring his conversation to life, it "shows" his agitation so you don't have to "tell" us about it.

Mannerisms can help tell your characters apart. Nail-biting, smoking, knitting, rocking, slouching, hair-twisting, pushing glasses back up (that keep sliding down her nose), can all contribute to your character's personality and give her something to do while she talks.

Keep the circumstances in mind. Is it cold? Have them shiver. Have they been up all night? Have them yawn. Are they outside? Have a fly or mosquito pester them. If Bad Boss says "Kill her!" just as he swats that fly, you've given us a picture to go with the words.

How They Got That Way

Before your characters say anything, you must understand them well enough to put the right words in their mouths. If she's a beautiful young woman, is she also superficial? Shy? Arrogant? Is she happy? Successful? Did she come from a farm? The big city? A foreign country? Is she part of a big family or is she an only child? Is she a bookworm? A movie buff? A baseball fan? Think about all the things that make you who you are and give a similar (or different) history to your character. Then, when she opens her mouth, she'll sound like who she is.

Back to My Articles About Writing