I’ve been thinking about dialogue a lot lately while working on the final revisions for my book. Good conversations are essential to keep a plot moving forward and provide interesting insight into characters.
I’ve always enjoyed the dialogue in James Lee Burke’s books, which is peppered with local wit and slang that is true to Louisiana. I do sometimes think his love of language can bog down the descriptions, but his stories and characters are fascinating.
My favorite writer for quick, witty dialogue is Robert B. Parker. Even when he has an entire page of dialogue it is short sentences that provide a great deal of information. For my example today, I picked from Rough Weather, which I thought was appropriate to our recent experiences in New York and New Jersey.
The bad guys have interrupted a wedding during a horrible storm to kidnap the bride and leave the guests surrounded by gunmen. Spencer, of course, is chosen to carry the bride to a nearby helicopter for the villain. When they arrive, the villain doesn’t get good news.
“Can you fly in this weather?” he said.We immediately know the dilemma and what that means. There’s no way out and decisions must be made quickly. Guns don’t matter. The number of bad guys doesn’t matter. Everything is adjusted for the villain and his plans must change.
“Oh my good God, no,” the pilot said. “We can’t get up until the storm passes.”
I picked out two sentences from my book, which is about a shapeshifter, that I think take people out of the everyday world into the world I’ve created.
“How do you know it’s Patrick?” he asked when he could.Share two sentences from your work today and maybe we’ll get a dialogue going!
“I recognize his mane.” Craig touched the tawny, black-tipped fan of hair around the beast’s face.
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4 comments:
I wish I had two sentences to share, but I don't. Love yours, though. Next week, I promise to contribute.
Leigh, speaking of revealing character, here are two sentences from Elmore Leonard's "The Big Bounce":
"You're a cute kid, Nancy," Ray Ritchie told her. "If I had to replace you, it would probably take me a week."
And these are from my WIP:
When he asked if she was a vegetarian, she had the feeling that saying yes would put her in his good graces, this guy who fed flies, but she said, “No. Just poor.”
“Hell, I’m paying,” he said. “Get what you want.”
No prob, Laura. Great sentences, Anita. I'm intrigued by your work and amused by Leonard's. What a great writer he is. I love the show, "Justified," which is based on his work. He has unending talent. Can't wait to read your WIP.
Nice ones, Leigh!
Someday, I swear, someday, I'll be back in the Twos!
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