Improve your writing in 60 seconds with these short advice videos, created by W&A Team member and author Clare Povey. First up: resisting the urge to explain in dialogue. Subtitles available.
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Characters come alive when you give them the right dialogue, so here are some tips on how to do just that.
Number one: resist the urge to explain For example, take this sentence.
"You crack me up," she said laughing.
Well-written dialogue doesn't need this explanation. If your character finds someone funny, it's pretty clear that they're going to be laughing. You don't need to tell the readers this. Instead, you want them to feel this emotion.
The easiest way to do this is to get rid of that explanation and show instead. Insert a beat of physical action.
So, take this reworked sentence.
She doubled over, snorting like a pig. "You crack me up."
This gives your reader an insight into the character. It's specific to her personality and her mannerisms, that she actually has a terrible laugh.