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Post by heredoncove on Oct 18, 2009 11:17:28 GMT -5
I thought I would introduce this topic because I'm having my own hang ups about it. I've actually been avoiding it for most of my updates
How do you get your character's personalities to translate into dialogue?
How do you know what phrasings sounds like them or not them?
I can get into their heads pretty well, I put it all there but sometimes its getting to them actually speak that slows me down.
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Post by thelunarfox on Oct 18, 2009 12:48:12 GMT -5
This is a good one. I can't wait to hear from others about this because I feel like I have an issue with this too that I'm always trying to work on.
Right now, what I do is freewrite a lot. (I do this for my Sims 2 blog sometimes too) to get an idea of the character. Sometimes their voices will come out then. Sometimes I focus on some detail about them that would affect their voices and how they would tell a story.
Very often I ask myself, "If I were that character, knowing what I know about this character, how would I see this situation?"
Like I have one character I'm working with who is in a position where she usually sits back and observes. I imagine that when she's faced with a situation, she's going to look at how people are standing, where they are in relation to each other, details like that. She wouldn't say, "Michael looked relaxed"; she'd notice instead his hands at his sides or the slope of his shoulders or set of his jaw.
Then I also ask myself, "How would she speak to me? Would she be poetic? Plain spoken? Honest?" Sometimes, I'll even have little convos of conversation I'll write out where I might ask a particularly difficult character, "Why?"
I also focus on what they wouldn't talk about or wouldn't be able to say.
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Post by raquelaroden on Oct 18, 2009 13:16:46 GMT -5
What a good topic! I'm not sure how successful I am at this either.... Lunar's suggestion of considering what a character would or wouldn't say is one I think I use the most. I love writing awkward situations for my characters the most, because it reveals so much about them. Maybe a character stumbles over saying certain words, or never curses. Maybe pick a few expressions and have a character stick with using them ("Sweet!" "Goodness gracious!" "By the power of Grayskull!" etc.) I think Monday Morning is particularly good at this sort of thing....maybe she'll chime in.
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Post by laura on Oct 18, 2009 15:14:42 GMT -5
I like to write plenty of dialogue in my stories, so I hope I'm doing it okay, lol! Dialogue is such a rich opportunity for character development.
I think what Lunar said about putting yourself right into that character and seeing the world through their eyes is spot on! Think of it as acting even, close your eyes and actually become that character. How do they see the world? How do they interact with it? How do they see themselves in it?
I think speech has a lot to do with how we feel about ourselves, our confidence, self esteem, intellect or lack thereof, upbringing - pretty much everything about a character will impact the way they speak, and the things they'll say, or not say.
Also think about how their speech would change between talking to their grandmother, or their best friend.
I agree with Rachel too about the little expressions we each have. Think about inside jokes, or nicknames they might have for their close friends or lovers.
I tend to watch a lot of well-written TV and movies (hubby is a huge film buff!) and that teaches a lot! And you can even sit in a coffee shop or in line at the store and eavesdrop on conversations (don't worry, you're a writer, you're allowed, lol!) Listen closely to the way real people talk, and how what they say tells different things about who they are.
Then when you have your dialogue written, read it out loud like you're performing it. That usually tells me if it feels natural or not.
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Post by girlyesterday on Oct 18, 2009 17:53:05 GMT -5
Great topic heredoncove.
As Lunar said, putting yourself in the character's shoes is a good way and as Laura suggested, listening to conversations and reading them out loud once they are written.
For me, I just sit down and write and then I just know whether it's going to mesh with the character or not. I spend quite a bit of time thinking about the characters themselves, particularly their attitude towards life and other people. That tends to be the driving factor behind how their conversations pan out. Do they like talking to other people, are they secretive, do they like revealing information, are they annoyed when someone talks to them, do they have friends and how do they treat them, do they like their friends, their family, their lover, do they just do what they are told or do they prefer to rebel and make it difficult, are they jaded, do they care about the opinions of other people, do they think their opinions are better than other people, do they care what people think of them, do they lie, do they always tell the truth, how do they feel about people getting personal with them, do they keep people at a distance.
These are the things that go through my head when I write their dialogue.
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Post by mdpthatsme on Oct 19, 2009 1:48:20 GMT -5
What I do after I've fully created my character, is write a short story in first person as them. It will make you think about how that character would explain certain situations. What they think. How they will react. How they feel. What secrets do they hide from the world, sort of things. Think of your character's background and their origin. For instance, if they're from Ireland, watch some movies that have Irish people in them or read some books by an Irish writer. I have a character named Zeb, who's a gangster. I watched mafia/gang-related movies and easily picked up on how they talked and acted then added my spark to the character and WaLA! ;D I have Zeb. For dialogue purposes his speech pediment (and laziness) I have him say things like "Iz," "yuz," "wanna," "ain't," etc. Also remember that non-verbal communication is important too when you build a character. For example, a character who bites their nails are some times considered nervous/anxious. So make them have little flaws. Non-verbal helps for "he said" moments when instead you make them do an action that reflects how they feel about a situation. (Example) "I don't wanna do it!" Zeb crossed his arms and stomped his foot. "Iz won't do it!" When, "I don't wanna do it!" Zeb said. "Iz won't do it!" doesn't really show his emotion toward the situation. Help any?
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Post by heredoncove on Oct 19, 2009 9:48:38 GMT -5
This has helped a lot especially when thinking of what would s/he say and what s/he wouldn't say. I tend to know what rings false for their character but sometimes I hesitate on the simple things because I want to get it right.
Most of my dialogue tends to come to my in scenes too and I spend a lot of time fine tuning it to make sure it fits them.
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