Page 69 - DENG102_COMMUNICATION_SKILLS_II

Communication Skills-II

notes 4.1 concept of Dialogue Writing

4.1.1 meaning of Dialogue

In English, dialogue can have more than one meaning. It can refer to a conversation between two
or more people or a conversation between characters in a drama or narrative. It can also refer to
the lines or passages in a script that are intended to be spoken. A literary work written in the form
of a conversation is also called a dialogue.

Example: The dialogues of Plato
A writer uses dialogue to reveal the personality of a character, create conflict, and move the
narrative forward. In her book “The Art and Craft of Storytelling”, writer Nancy Lamb mentions
that the “goal of writing dialogue is to not mimic how people speak; the goal of the writer’s dialogue is to
create the illusion of authenticity.”
When writing dialogues, you need to keep in mind the main purpose of the dialogue. The dialogue
should not be used just as a “filler” or “gossip” or “small talk”. It must have some relevance,
purpose, or function in the story or article that you are writing. You should use dialogue for the
following reasons:

To develop the premise of the story or article: For example, the antagonist might say something
that angers the protagonist. This anger causes the protagonist to take some sort of action, moving
the premise closer to its conclusion.
To disclose a conflict between characters: For example, the dialogue between two characters might
be aggressive or full of criticism, which discloses the conflict between two the two characters.
To develop the personality of the character: Both the tone and content of the dialogue tell the
reader about the nature of the character. For example, if the character speaks well and uses well-
expressed words, the reader draws the conclusion that the character is educated and intelligent.
To reveal background information about a character: You can use dialogue to reveal something
that happened in the past.

4.1.2 Ways and Process of Writing Dialogue

A writer can build two types of dialogue: Inner dialogue and outer dialogue.
The words spoken by a character to himself or herself is referred to as the inner dialogue. To
create an inner dialogue, the writer uses the literary device of “dramatic monologue” or “stream
of consciousness”.
On the other hand, the conversation between characters is referred to as the outer dialogue. Both
types of dialogue require a writer to follow the rules and principles for writing dialogue.

stream of consciousness

It refers to the inner thoughts of the character. Stream of consciousness is also called an internal
monologue. Writers like William Faulkner, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf used this literary
technique to reveal what the character is thinking to himself or herself. Usually, the writer
recognises the internal monologue:
l By using the word “thought.” The man thought about how difficult the test was…
l By using the phrase “I thought to myself”. I thought to myself, “How amazing the day
was”.

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