How to Fail at Dialogue: The Tennis Method
You’ve heard it said, use action beats when creating dialogue–avoid the ubiquitous said. Great advice when done properly, but when overused, the reader gets a stiff neck as though watching an over active tennis match.
A popular series, I won’t mention any names, became a hit despite overusing interrupting beats. The author’s dialogue ran something like this:
- Use beats, but vary them as you do sentence and paragraph length. Some are longer, some are shorter.
- Intersperse with straight action. If the action is essential, then devote a paragraph to it.
- Make the action necessary. I’ve read plenty of books where people are nabbing cups of coffee and gripping coffee pots so frequently, I’m surprised they have any glassware or ceramic cups left. Additionally, the characters toss smiles and quirk eyebrows ad infinitum. They begin to appear as marionettes, not humans.
- Find something other than eyebrows and mouths to move. It is true we concentrate on the face, but the constant lifting of eyebrows or quirking of smiles gets tiresome. I rarely note someone’s raised brows.
- Don’t be afraid of said. Dialogue, like action and narrative, needs to be included for a reason. In a heated debate, the words are what humans notice, not the actions. You can use no beats, just words. Occasionally, to just clarify who is speaking at the moment, use a said. It worked for Hemingway (But, don’t use it as often as he did), it can work for you.
Make your dialogue vital, and avoid the tennis match. Your readers will thank you for it. How do you make yours work?
I agree, Dianne. I didn't want to name any specifically–but a simple said sometimes is all you need just to clarify the speaker.
Excellent advice. I've read books that looked like your example, and finally put them aside in disgust. TMI, author!!
Linda, you are so good to me. Thanks.
Great advice!