>want to write short stories
>have to write dialogue
>be a sperg
How do I get into character dialogue and interaction? My social imagination is fucked. This is an imageboard full of autists, so I'm sure some of you have figured it out or have good ideas.
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if your characters are busy, mention activity while your they talk to keep something happening
imagine you are a third party hearing it from a few feet away. what would normal people say in that conversation?
convey character through their speech and know what information you want to get across with your dialogue. is it important to plot? character? if it has no purpose, throw it away
avoid this:
>said x
>said y
>replied x
>asked y
>said x
>said y
there are hundreds of words that are more interesting, but don't go out of your way to avoid "said" or "asked"
for short stories especially, dialogue will either constitute the whole thing, or barely any of it. change your style depending on the amount of dialogue
post progress
Just embrace your fucked style
the biggest thing is: "is this dialogue necessary?"
most of real life dialogue is unnecessary in stories
>most of real life dialogue is unnecessary in stories
this is interesting. then what's important?
As an autismo sperg, I have a few words of wisdom:
If you want to write believable characters, I suggest writing down little templates of who they are, how they look, what they're like and maybe even a little backstory. This way, you can try to estimate how they would react or talk to a certain something or someone.
I have an example. Since I'm working on something that has Polandball characters in it (don't ask), and Latvia is the foil to her brother, Lithuania, who's quite thoughtful and also a pessimist, she's bombastic and ambitious, but idiotic and short-tempered. If you tie her upside down in a dark room with only one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, she'll obviously swear like a sailor on twenty shots of whiskey at you, but if you offer her $20,000 if she does something for you, she'll see the $20,000 and it's a done deal.
Here's my template for characters in that novel:
[character name]
[some short measurements or statements about appearance]
Personality: [something about personality]
Other Properties, e.g. Psychic Abilities and the Works: [something about powers]
So you construct characters with a set of rules, and plot development is the breaking of those rules?
Basically. I imagine that by the time that the conflict is getting close to reaching a head, I'll be familiar enough with my characters to know how they would change in that scenario.
When I was in the 6th grade my dream was to become a writer, and in every language class assignment, I would spend much more time than others and write more. The teacher noticed my efforts, and was unimpressed. I remember one day the teacher talked about writing and mentioned that "you've either got it or you don't. You're born with it and there's nothing you can really do to get it. There's only one person in this classroom who has it" and mentioned some girl who wrote what was essentially furry fanfic (her language game was alright though, I'll give her that). I got really pissed off and dropped my dream of becoming a writer. Writing is not for everyone I guess. Although that girl is probably a hobo by now lmao. I should find her someday, maybe give her some money.
>furry fanfic
what was it about, user?
do not write dialogue as you would hear it in real life, thats the worst thing you can get, just the same way as your prose isnt how you would describe things in real life
dont worry about dialogue being "believable", but focus about it being pretty
The spergiest advice I can give is to read books about acting. A lot of the "work" that actors do in preparation is finding a voice. Related to that advice is the dramatic function of dialogue. A conversation isn't merely what some characters do to pass the time in between the "important stuff" (even if that IS what is happening). The questions an actor would consider are what does my character /want/ out of this interaction? How are they "attacking" the situation? What are they looking out for, scared of, or sensitive to? By getting to the root of the psychology and the context the right words will come a little easier.
The above has nothing to do with sounding 'natural' which comes more from observation and the social imagination that you may be describing. That's also something you may get better with over time. I'm talking primarily about function. If you look at any David Mamet script you don't get 'natural' dialogue or even natural performances, but you get something arguably more basic: understanding where the characters are coming from and where the story is going.
Instead of spinning voices purely out of your fertile imagination, something you can do is base it on people you know, celebrities you're familiar with, or writers you admire. Even if you're simply parroting someone else's style, if it gets you writing more than nothing, it's a damn good start.
>avoid [said/replied/asked]
Shit-tier advice. Those words are basically punctuation. They're impossible to overuse.
As a verified sperg, I recommend reading Impro by Keith Johnstone. I pay attention to the principles in this book, and several people have praised my character interactions. Detailed review:
You are overthinking it because you are a sperg. Characters are the actors in your plot, and dialogue is rarely realistic in writing, the same way it isn't realistic in plays. The main purpose of dialogue is to further the plot or express important views or attributes of the characters. Something to keep in mind though is that characters should have different voices:
Introvert or extrovert?
Passive or dominant?
Down to Earth or Esoteric?
Smart or dumb?
These are some things to keep in mind.
Disagree. Often simple language can be used to great effect.
Read short stories and look how other people do it
Get actual life experience then write. This is stuff you're suppose to do as an old man. Reflecting on life and extrapolating from it.
Hemingway made good dialogue.
lmao you fool. That teacher was resentful because most likely she wanted to be a writer. Now you're an idiot for not pursuing your dream.
>insinuating stories should always focus on what's necesary towards the plot.
Unbased and solely thinking through a profit driven social framework pilled.
literally every great writer was an autist
Nobody actually wants realistic dialogue and interactions, only the illusion of it. Study dialogue the same way you'd study anything and develop your style. Plenty of famous authors were spergs and they managed.
give in and make every character autistic.
i would love to read that