Tell Me What I Say - Dialogue

image by Banes

Last Thursday I talked a little about writing a scene, in terms of the change that happens, what the character wants, and what obstacle is in the way of achieving that want.

But what about dialogue? Eh?

One way to help define what's going on in a scene is to write some "on the nose" dialogue.



This is dialogue that expresses what the characters are thinking and feeling, and states what they want. Writing this kind of dialogue can give you a clearer sense of what's going on in the scene.

But once you've figured that out, you probably want to change that dialogue to something…off the nose?

The thing is, people don't generally say exactly what they're thinking and how they're feeling. To give you a f'rinstance, I've never ONCE expressed an actual genuine emotion or thought. That's a whole other story, though.



So if you can have clarity on the mechanics of the scene, with the wants, obstacles, and type of conflict and behavior that's going on, you can try to move the dialogue away from that. Maybe have minimal to no dialogue at all. Or have the characters HIDING their true intentions in some way.

Honestly, I find myself writing "on the nose" dialogue more often than I'd like, to get the point across.


But when I can have characters hiding their true intentions, lying, or denying, the scenes are much better. And when readers comment and say what they think the characters are actually thinking and feeling…well, reading those comments is maybe the single greatest thing about being a webcomic creator. At least for me.

How do you approach dialogue in your comics? Any thoughts on what makes "good" or "bad" dialogue?



P.S. Hey, have you checked out the new, rebooted ARCHIE series by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples? I just picked up the first two issues and it's fantastic! Mark is one of the greats among comic writers, and really understands these characters, and Fiona, who I'd never heard of before this, is a phenomenal artist. Recommended for our DD Archie fans!






Have a good one!
-Banes