How you say something is an important as what you say!

Dialogue is a critical tool for any finely crafted novel.  It helps impart vital information and moves a story along.  It also shows the reader much about the character of the speaker.

How a character speaks can be as important as what they say. First, people do not speak in perfect grammatical fashion.  They use constant contractions, fragments, and maybe even a run-on if need be.  Second, the loser high-school dropout probably doesn’t have the same vocabulary as the stuffy college professor.  Third, avoid accents unless you really know what you are doing.  Fourth, don’t include the pauses, stutters, and ohms that people say.  It will only make your dialogue unreadable.  Lastly, don’t have your characters blather on if they don’t have something to say.  Dialogue should always be important, either for the story or for character development. 

When teenagers talk they sound different from grandparents.  Sometimes it is important to be a good listener when around different groups.  Try to catch their rhythms so your writing will ring true!

By Jeff Altabef the author of Fourteenth Colony a political thriller.  Half of my proceeds benefit the Covenant House, so enjoy a great book and help homeless kids at the same time!  http://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Colony-Jeff-Altabef/dp/1625104529/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=13...