Learn2Write

“How do you spell ‘love’?” – Piglet

“You don’t spell it ... you feel it.” – Pooh

 Who doesn’t love Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A.A Milne? They are clever lessons concealed as entertaining scenes and teaching kids everything from critical contemplation to the perils of poor spelling. In spite of these stories having didactic or pedagogic qualities, why do you think they are so popular among kids? Well, there are many reasons for it, but boy oh boy we can’t have enough of those heart-warming dialogue exchanges between Piglet and Pooh. 

 Just what exactly is dialogue?

 “You are writing this blog. Why don’t you tell me?”

We beg your pardon! That’s rude.

“I am just an imaginary character you invented to have a conversation with, so why don’t you go ahead and tell them.”

Fine! Dialogue is a conversation.

“Like what we are having right now?”

Exactly!

 The key to writing dialogue is finding the right balance. Bulky passages with irrelevant information that don’t really move the story along cannot be considered as successful dialogue. In a story, dialogue should reveal emotion, break up the narrative, move the story along and establish character traits.

 AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE

 Amber placed her bag down on the dresser. “Good afternoon, Mom,” she said.

“Good afternoon, Amber,” Her mom replied. “I must inform you that Lily telephoned during your absence. It was requested that you return the call as soon as you reach home.”

 This doesn’t seem realistic, right? Using sophisticated language and obeying each and every conventions of grammar will do wonders when you are writing a formal essay or letter, but people usually don’t strictly adhere to grammar rules or use formal words when they have a casual conversation, so neither should your dialogue; it should be informal and authentic. 

 Ashley dumped her bag on the dresser. “Hey, Mom,” she called as she walked into the living room.

‘Hi, love. How was your day?” Her Mom said, looking up from her book. “Lily called while you were out; can you give her a call back?”

 Unlike the first example, the second one actually captures the essence of a casual conversation between a mother and daughter. 

 ARE YOU GUILTY OF OVERUSING YOUR CHARACTER’S NAME? 

 “How are you James? Is everything alright?”

 “Everything’s fine. How about you Harry?”

“Oh, I am good, James. Are we still on for tomorrow’s sleepover?”

This can go on and on, and by the end of the story, all we will remember are their names. 

Just consider the conversations we have on a daily basis. Do you utter your friend’s name in every question you ask or response you give? We are going to assume that you don’t. It’s unnatural. 

DIVERSE CHARACTERS

No two people are the same; your characters should have unique personalities that distinguish them from one another. There are several things you should consider: where are your characters from? Do they have any accents or slang? Do they have a particular word they use frequently? 

For example, “g’day mate”, “you alright?”, or “how’s it going?” are all different greetings in English to say ‘hello’ or ask how someone is doing. (Australian, British, and American English) 

PLEASE LEAVE OUT THE INSIGNIFICANT STUFF!

Everything your characters say to each other should fulfil a goal or reveal something about the character or should be integral to the plot. In other words, leave out the pointless banter or alien stuff if it doesn’t serve a purpose.

DIALOGUE TAGS AND ACTION BEATS 

Dialogue tags (he said, she said, etc.) can become redundant if they are not used judiciously, but they are also unavoidable to let readers know who is saying what. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with ‘said’; it is one of the least annoying dialogue tags. People are familiar with the word ‘said’ and it doesn’t draw much attention. However, an adverb dialogue tag is a different case altogether; avoid it at all costs (For example, ‘she yelled angrily’ or ‘they shouted happily.’)  

Don’t worry! Action beats are here to help. They are the parts in your of dialogue where you describe things like facial expressions, mannerisms and your characters’ inner conflicts.

Here is an example: Bella pranced around the lounge impatiently. The furrowed brows and clenched teeth gave away the anger simmering inside her. When she spotted James across the hotel lobby, with urgent strides, she approached him, “Why are you late?” 

See? The most effective way to establish your characters’ emotions and feelings is by showing them instead of telling them. 

After reading this, do you feel confident enough to incorporate authentic, witty and amusing dialogue exchanges in your story? If yes, then do it! 

Have you ever wondered how some words can leave you breathless and wanting to know what happens next in a story? Is it always only the plot that makes a story exciting? Or could it be the way the words are placed in a sentence? Sometimes it is many words woven together that create an exciting read. Sometimes, it is just one word that provides an answer. How does an author create tension through their sentence structures?

The following example will make things clearer:

The gun was shot. Like a wind, we took off. The first boy I passed by was really easy. I was already ahead of four others, who were struggling, but I did not have time to look at them. I concentrated forward. Crossing the second boy, too, went like a breeze. I was getting there. And I did. This was as easy as water. Now only one more opponent was left. And I was yet to engage my fastest gear. I was waiting for the opportune time. Then it came. I engaged. But nothing happened. What? He was still ahead. I did it again. Still no success. He was a full metre ahead of me. I tried again. Nothing. No matter how hard I ran, he always seemed ahead of me. If only I could reach out and grab his vest, I could sling myself (symbolically, of course) ahead of him. The finish line was only a few feet away. My last chance. This was it – now or never. I gave it one last effort. My feet left the ground and took flight as we both flew across the ribbon on to the other side, with me inches behind him.

What do you notice about these lines?

• Varying lengths of sentences are a must. Action is best expressed when a long descriptive sentence is suddenly followed by a short crisp one. That creates a change of pace. A change of pace creates tension. Use truncated sentences for this. Place many short ones consecutively. Do you notice the burst of short sentences peeping from between the rest and making all the difference? Even a single word sentence is sometimes enough.

• Write long, complex sentences that prolong the explanation and create an atmosphere of heightened suspense. The reader becomes impatient for the end of the sentence when the author will reveal what happens next. Look at the last sentence in the example above. You can even have complex sentences with one dependent clause or compound sentences that have two independent clauses for effect. The idea in each is to keep the reader on their toes for the eventual result. 

• Provide only partial answers. This ought to leave the reader breathless. Leave them wanting for more; give the answers, but not all. Make them wait; that will make them want. Gradually build the scene. Make the great reveal only towards the end. Could you tell if the narrator won the race or lost it before you read the last line?

• Build the action upwards. As you write, keep building the tension in the action. Very similar to the last point, don’t reveal at once. Tease the reader. Every few sentences, add an extra clue: a thought, a plan or a significant development. Pay attention to the thoughts of the narrator. Do you see how the thought precedes the plan that is made and then executed? It should almost feel like a rhythm.

• Punctuate correctly. Full stops are you best friend here. Commas may be used but only to provide grammatical correctness. Don’t overload with exclamation marks. They reduce the seriousness of the content. 

Showing a fast-moving action or horror-filled scene is very easy in a video. But that can be achieved in writing as well. Just structure the sentences correctly, and use the magic of the right word. There you go! You have your action sequence right in front of you.

Less is the new more! 

“We went to Disneyland last week, and it was super fun! My sister, her face all beaming, did a little happy dance when she met Cinderella, and a laugh riot ensued.  On the whole, the delectable desserts, whimsical rides and Disney princesses can make any kid happy.”

Oh, that’s wonderful news, but aren’t you tired of using coordinating conjunctions and commas all the time?  Why let your sentences ramble when thoughtful pauses can say so much more?  

We went to Disneyland last week; it was super fun!  My sister—her face all lit up—did a little happy dance when she met Cinderella; a laugh riot ensued. On the whole, Disneyland has everything a kid needs to be happy: delectable desserts, whimsical rides and Disney princesses. 

In this article, we are going to familiarise ourselves with the tricky quartet: semicolon (;), colon (:), em dash (—), and parenthesis (). See the difference these little superstars can make to your writing.

Semicolons

Which is the most powerful punctuation mark? The most obvious answer would be the full stop. But which comes second? Some would say commas because they are extensively used, but semicolons disagree. Like a comma, a semicolon tells a reader to pause, but a semicolon is a stronger punctuation mark than a comma. A semicolon (;) separates grammatically independent sentences that are closely related. 

Example: Amber always slept with the light on; she was terrified of the dark.

You can also use the semicolon to separate items in a list when some of those items already contain commas. For example, ‘I bought red, juicy strawberries, beautiful, ripe mangoes, and tasty bananas.’ 

The sentence is confusing; isn’t it? It’s tiring to figure out how many items were bought since there are a lot of commas involved. ‘I bought red, juicy strawberries; beautiful, ripe mangoes; and tasty bananas.’ See?  It is a lot better this way.

Dashes (em dashes)

The first thing to know when using dashes is not to overuse them. It will make your sentences difficult to follow. Also, do not confuse them with hyphens—they are shorter lines and are generally used to indicate connections between words (full-time, far-off, ice-cold etc.) Undoubtedly, em dashes are extremely useful. Let’s take a look at some ways to include dashes in your writing:

a) Em dashes can be used instead of parentheses (). This way, more focus is given to the information between the em dashes. Em dashes are preferable in formal writing; they are fancier than parentheses.  

Example:  Timmy (his face all grim) walked towards the principal’s office. Here, the information provided within the parenthesis is not getting enough attention; therefore, we can replace it with em dashes. Timmy —his face all grim—walked towards the principal’s office.

b) You can use em dashes to indicate sentence introductions and conclusions.

Example: Food, shelter, safe drinking water —for many people even the basic amenities are still a dream.

c) Em dashes can also be used to break up dialogue.

Example: “I—I’m scared; let’s go back,” Jack whispered in a quivering voice.

Parenthesis 

A parenthesis is a curvy punctuation mark used to set off information that isn’t crucial to the main topic, like a second-thought or a funny joke. When they come in pairs, they are called parentheses; you must have both an opening and a closing parenthesis. Whatever the information inside the parenthesis, it should not be grammatically fundamental to the sentence. Also, overuse of parentheses can be distracting to readers.

Let’s look at some examples:

a) To show acronyms: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

b) To add extra information: The talent show will be held next week (on Tuesday).

c) To clarify preceding words: The bird sang in a high-pitched sound that is idiosyncratic (peculiar) to its species.

d) To enclose a comment (informal): Mary merrily made her way to the kitchen (I reckon it is a sugar-rush).

Colons

A colon is used to introduce phrases, lists and elaborations. It can also be used to introduce a quotation. Colons follow clauses that can exist on their own (independent clauses or complete sentences). 

Example: This book has everything I need: adventure, mystery, and comedy.  

Here’s an example of a colon introducing a single item: There is only one thing that can make me ecstatic:  ice cream. 

One of our previous blog posts— ‘The misunderstood Colon’— covers everything you need to know about colons. Check it out here.

We have come to the end of our article. So now do you know how to use your advanced punctuation marks?