I Speak Because I am
Dialogue and The Art of It
Good dialogue is behaviour. Exposition is the devil’s handgun. -L. G. Jones
Did I just quote my self? Yes…yes, I did. I have been asked by coworkers in the past how to write good dialogue. I am by no means is an Aaron Sorkin or even the best at dialogue. I would say I’m average.
Average enough to talk and discuss with you about how to write good dialogue, the purpose of good dialogue, and how to use exposition right.
Dialogue
Dialogue is the same as a real-life conversation- bzzzt wrong. Dialogue is not a real-life conversation, a real-life discussion is full of run-on sentences, interrupted thoughts, and a lot of repeating. Which you can find in dialogue, but the significant difference is that dialogue has a purpose.
If characters are just a zoomed-in version of us, then dialogue is the magnifying glass that helps us see ourselves. Dialogue is what the characters use to define their behaviours. It shows the audience what kind of person the character is.
From how fast they speak, to the pauses they have, to how big the words they use, and the responses they give. For writers, dialogue is what we use to characterize the character. Dialogue is characterization.
Each line a character gives has subtext and intention behind it. They don’t say things just to say things. There is a reason why one character tells a joke to another character; to get the laugh or to break down the ice.
Even the goons you write as fodder for the hero all have reasons and a voice for being where they are. If you write a scene and you don’t know who the henchmen are by name, well, you’re doing something wrong. The audience can figure out right away that they are unimportant and just fodder. That takes the audience out of your world.
Back to characterization, how the character chooses to say something is essential. How they say it matters than just spouting out information. Dialogue is an action that character takes, they could decide just to be silent.
Exposition
The devil’s handgun. You probably heard that exposition can kill a story or too much of it is like eating sand. But how do we get information that the audience needs to know if we can’t use exposition?
Good question. We must first understand that there are two types of exposition.
- Information that neither audience nor character knows
- Information that the audience doesn’t know, but all the characters know it.
Now how do we convey it skillfully without getting shot?
Information that neither audience nor character knows
You can convey this through people who would generally convey information to normal individuals. For example, detectives, doctors, lawyers, and anyone else that would know a lot of the subject at hand.
Another way you could do this is by writing in an ingénue. What is an ingénue? This is a character that is innocent or unsophisticated. This gives you a perfect excuse to explain things to the character/audience, but too much of it can lead to terrible results.
Information that the audience doesn’t know but all the characters know it
This is the tough part. How do you convey the information you need when the characters know it, but the audience doesn’t know? An ingénue could be used, but only a few times.
You can add exposition even if the character knows it, but adding a reason and need for this information to be repeated. Desperation is an excellent tool. By dramatizing the exposition, you cast the illusion that the exposition is just dialogue and has a reason to be said. All exposition is driven by a desire just like dialogue and should be treated with the same level of respect.
Yet why are we told that exposition is terrible? This is because lousy exposition sticks out like a sore thumb. You can’t miss it. Exposition is a tool the character should use to get what they want, not a tool the writer uses just to convey information.
Conclusion
Dialogue and exposition are both driven by desire. The character uses exposition as a tool to get what they want. Drama masks exposition and the greater the drama, the more invisible it gets. Dialogue express the behaviour of the character and tells a lot about the character. All of these things go hand in hand.
I hope this can help you blur the lines between dialogue and exposition. Good dialogue comes with practice, and you can’t get better just by writing alone. Reading other screenplays, novels, short stories, and stage plays can increase your skill.
Keep writing and evolving. Thanks for reading.
