Common methods employed by writers to show a character's voice include poor grammar, altering spelling to reflect mispronounced words, and spelling words in a way to reflect accents. These techniques do work; however, using them is like playing Russian roulette. You can do it once or twice, or even three times, and still have the odds of holding your reader in your favor. But from then on, you risk killing your story!
True, some whole novels are written in dialect. However, in general readers find excessive use of written accents to be difficult to enjoy reading and, therefore, editors hesitate to buy such manuscripts.
The good news is that once you have established that, for instance, a character drops his "g's" (as in "But, hey, thanks a lot for checkin'." in Conclusion #1 of the article How Dialogue Creates Character), the readers will continue to "hear" that flavor of speech without you having to sprinkle your story with a bevy of chicken-scratch/single quote marks. If you continue to develop that same characterization in other ways (by description, tags, or actions) after you have developed a certain flavor of speech, the readers continue to "hear" this speech mannerism in their mental ears. The same is true for accents and misspellings-just a little bit (mostly at the beginning) will go a long way.
This seems to break the golden "always-be-consistent" rule. However, it avoids writer frustration, editor agony, and reader confusion that occurs when trying to continually accept words or punctuation that is visually "wrong" compared to what we are accustomed to reading.
EASY TRICK TO BELIEVABLE DIALOGUE
If you want to improve your dialogue writing, try acting out a dialogue exchange. First, place yourself alone in a room. (Any room will do, as long as you don't feel inhibited by the presence of others.) Visualize the character you are trying to develop: his or her attitude, demeanor and purpose in your story. Imagine yourself as that type of character. Physically move like that person (sit, slouch, grin, pout, or whatever your character would do). Assume that character's stance, trying poses, mannerisms and movements that would be appropriate.
Present your character/self with a question. Imagine the words this type of character would really use to answer that question. Remember the character's hidden or unspoken purpose as you choose the words. Say them out loud with the inflections, hand gestures, and tone that this type of person would naturally use.
Then, write those words down and carefully "package" them so that the reader feels a sense of the sounds of those words and of the accompanying character's movements.
It may take a few tries before you hear that character's voice break through your own voice and inhibitions. Yet, soon you'll feel the words spilling out in the order and manner that this particular character would use. Writing subsequent dialogue for that character will become easier and easier as you start to hear his or her "voice" in your mind. In time, when you develop other characters you won't need to do this out loud; you'll be able to watch and listen with your mind's eye and ears.
By carefully tuning the words written as dialogue, you can capture a voice and create a character that the reader will be able to hear, see--and believe.
Copyright, Sandra E. Haven, Editor at Bristol Editing Services
Courtesy of www.bristolservicesintl.com
