Category Archives: How to Write a Book

by Alexandria | 21 September 2018 · 10:58 am

Second Person Point of View

Don’t confuse POV with things that have nothing to do with POV: writing in past or present tense, using flashbacks or foreshadowing, good character development or realistic dialogue. None of those is POV and POV is not concerned with those separate writing issues. #WritingTips pic.twitter.com/OtEHUVHC8v

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Don’t confuse literary Point of View with people expressing different opinions in real life: in writing, different characters’ views of the same events is Perspective, not POV. Point of View is HOW something is written, and there are very few POVs in writing. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Points of View
• Unlimited, in grammatical 3rd person: he, she, it, they
• First Person, in grammatical 1st person: I, we
• Inner Limited, in 3rd person: he, she, it, they
• Second Person, in 2nd person: you
• Outer Limited, in 3rd person: he, she, it, they #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Unlimited POV, in grammatical 3rd person (he, she, it, they). Sometimes called “God” or omniscient POV. No limits to the information the author provides to readers, including ALL characters’ thoughts, motivations, feelings, pasts, moral judgment. Can be ambiguous.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

First Person POV, in grammatical 1st person (I, we). The only POV with a narrator. Everything in story is LIMITED to what the narrator thinks, feels, etc and what s/he can observe about other characters’ actions/behavior. Narrators can be reliable or unreliable. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Inner Limited POV, in grammatical 3rd person (he, she, it, they). LIMITED to the INNER life (thoughts, feelings, motivations) of ONE character (or 1 character at a time, different sections). Similar to First Person POV limitations but creates more emotional distance.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Second Person Point of View, in grammatical 2 person (you). Only a POV when it is NOT used in dialogue. The “you” indicates a direct address, and someone specific is being addressed in the work. If you use Second Person POV, you must know who is being addressed. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

In Unlimited POV, if the author intentionally switches to Second Person POV, the author is addressing someone OUTSIDE the work. The default audience for the “you” being directly addressed by the author is always the readers. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

In Unlimited POV, switch to “you” of Second Person POV can be humanity in general, specific historical, political, fictional, or well well-known figures OUTSIDE the work who are NOT the readers of the work. Readers must be able to tell who is addressed by the “you.” #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

When an author switches from Unlimted POV to Second Person POV, it is generally considered that the author is the one addressing the “you” outside the work, whether or not “you” is the readers themselves, and the author must have a reason for doing so. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

When the novel was a new art form, many authors used Second Person POV to address the readers directly & bring them into the story. This technique makes the readers more aware of author as storyteller. For this reason, many post-modern or experimental writers do it. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

He lived in Ohio all his life, but no one can understand Midwest values unless he’s lived there = Unlimited POV

He’s lived in Ohio all his life, but you can’t understand Midwest value unless you’ve lived there = Unlimited POV with a switch to Second Person POV#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Early novelists often included First Person POV w Second Person POV, reminding readers that authors = storytellers.

He lived in Ohio all his life, but I assure you that you can’t understand Midwest values unless you’ve lived there = Unlimted + First + Second POV#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

You lived in Ohio all your life, and you cannot understand Midwest values unless you’ve lived there = Second Person POV but there are 2 different “you” here

“You” has become both the subject of story AND anyone reading story. This can distance readers emotionally.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

First Person POV, in grammatical 1st person (I, we) has a narrator who is telling the narrator’s version of events. If the narrator addresses a “you” and does NOT do it in dialogue, the narrator can be addressing another actual or implied character in the story. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

He wished he could tell them he loved them, but he was afraid = Unlimited POV
I wished I could tell them I loved them, but I was afraid = First Person POV
You wished you could tell them you loved them, but you were afraid = Second Person POV #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

I wished I could tell you that I loved you, but I was afraid = First Person POV with narrator directly addressing SOMEONE as “you” but NOT in dialogue which means author switched briefly to Second Person POV to emphasize narrator’s awareness of self as storyteller. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

I wished I could tell you that I loved you, but I was afraid
Second Person POV means narrator is talking to someone not there with him (otherwise it would be in dialogue). The “you” in that sentence could be readers, other implied/actual characters, famous persons. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Whether the bulk of the work is written in Unlimited POV (he, she, it, they) or First Person (I, we), the author must know the identity of the “you” being directly addressed AND make it clear to the readers when switching to Second Person POV (you), however briefly. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

You must have a reason for switching from your chosen POV to another. If you don’t have a reason, readers will quickly figure out you don’t know what you’re doing. If you have a reason but readers can’t figure it out, they’ll assume you don’t know what you’re doing. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Advantages of Second Person POV: when “you” addresses readers, they may feel they are part of the author’s storytelling process so may feel more connected to characters
Disadvantage: makes readers more aware of PROCESS of storytelling, creating emotional distance #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

When Second Person POV is used within First Person POV, the narrator is addressing someone, NOT the author. Famous, often misinterpreted example: Jane Eyre’s “Reader, I married him” is narrator Jane, obviously WRITING her story, telling reader she married Rochester #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

When the narrator of LOLITA says that his wife asked him to leave the room and says, “Reader, I did,” it is the NARRATOR of the story who tells his reading audience that he left the room, NOT the author Nabokov telling the book’s readers that he went out of a room. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Jay McInerney’s novel Bright Lights, Big City is written entirely in Second Person POV, which actually is part of what makes its story of a drug addict more successful since the author is involving readers by addressing them directly. Here’s the opening paragraph #WritingTips pic.twitter.com/7tg0iGs1sT

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Second Person POV Advantages: makes readers more consciously aware of storytelling process, which could make them feel more connected to author
Second Person POV Disadvantages: makes readers more consciously aware of storytelling process, distancing them emotionally #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Second Person Point of View:
• written in grammatical 2nd person: you
• directly addresses a “you” NOT in dialogue
• author must make “you” clear to readers
• default “you” audience = readers
• other “you” audiences = people outside story, characters in story #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Don’t want any limits on the information you provide to your readers? Then you want to write in Unlimited Point of View. Missed those #WritingTips? Here they are: Unlimited Point of Viewhttps://t.co/3kO8asCVLJ

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Want the emotional intimacy (and possible unreliability) of a narrator? Then you want First Person Point of View so you can limit the readers’ view of the story to the version inside the narrator’s head. Missed the #WritingTips? First Person Point of Viewhttps://t.co/pPSstrtPXZ

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

Want the readers to understand all the complex workings of a character’s thoughts and feelings but don’t want them to be as emotionally connected as they’d be to a narrator? Try Inner Limited Point of View. Missed those #WritingTips? Inner Limited POV: https://t.co/Hl9IKxmdGU

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

I’m only doing #writingtips for one POV each week. Want to know more before next week? Want examples? check out Who’s Afraid of Point of View?https://t.co/112r8aTYFk

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 21, 2018

♦

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Filed under #WritingTips, Creative Writing, How to Write, How to Write a Book, Point of View, Writing

Tagged as ambiguous Unlimited POV, first person point of view, first person pov, inner limited point of view, Inner Limited POV, outer limited point of view, point of view, second person point of view, Unlimited Point of View, unreliable narrator, unreliable narrators

by Alexandria | 14 September 2018 · 7:14 am

First Person Point of View

Don’t confuse POV with things that have nothing to do with POV: writing in past or present tense, using flashbacks or foreshadowing, good character development or realistic dialogue. None of those is POV and POV is not concerned with those separate writing issues. #WritingTips pic.twitter.com/ArFAPPVGao

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

Don’t confuse literary Point of View with people expressing different opinions in real life: in writing, different characters’ views of the same events is Perspective, not POV. Point of View is HOW something is written, and there are very few POVs in writing. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

Points of View
• Unlimited, in grammatical 3rd person: he, she, it, they
• First Person, in grammatical 1st person: I, we
• Inner Limited, in 3rd person: he, she, it, they
• Second Person, in 2nd person: you
• Outer Limited, in 3rd person: he, she, it, they #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

Unlimited POV is the only one without any limits to the information an author can give readers about the characters, including all their thoughts, feelings, motivations, history, etc. All other POVs are limited in some way. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

If you want NO LIMITS to the information you can provide readers, you should use Unlimited POV. All other POVs have limits: if you choose to write in any other POV besides Unlimited, you are also voluntarily choosing to follow the limitations of those other POVs.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

Please don’t tell me that you don’t want to follow the writing tips for other POVs. Just write in Unlimited POV. These aren’t “rules” but guidelines for writers who want to challenge themselves artistically. If you don’t want to do that, use Unlimited POV. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

First Person Point of View is written in grammatical 1st person (I, we) and is the only POV with a narrator. This is a LIMITED POV. You can only present your narrator’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, history, etc. You (and your readers) are IN your narrator’s head.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

If you choose First Person POV, then you are choosing to LIMIT your view of the story’s events to the perspective of your chosen narrator. Unless your narrator can read others’ minds, you cannot show their thoughts or feelings unless they are spoken aloud or written.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

If you wish to show multiple PERSPECTIVES of same events in your story, then you need to change POVs or clearly change perspective. You can have multiple Fist Person POV sections, but it must be clear to readers who the “I” in each section (chapter, part, etc) is. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

First Person POV is considered the most intimate POV since readers get to know absolutely everything about the narrator’s feelings, thoughts, and motivations: they view all the events from the narrator’s perspective. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

First Person POV seems like it would be the easiest POV because writers think they just have to write down everything their narrator thinks, but this POV is the one most new writers accidentally lapse in when they tell something their narrator could not know. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

When writers lapse from their chosen POV, they have revealed information to readers that is not available to the other characters in the limited POV they’ve chosen to write in. In First Person POV, such information is not available to the narrator telling the story. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

He regarded me with his usual expression, and it angered me = First Person POV

He regarded me with disdain, and it angered me = LAPSE from First Person POV

The narrator cannot know what someone else is feeling & “disdain” is narrator’s interpretation. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

This doesn’t mean you cannot ever show your narrator’s interpreting or misinterpreting others’ feeling or reactions but you must make it clear that it is the narrator’s interpretation or readers will think you have lapsed from your chosen POV.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

He regarded me with his usual expression, and it angered me = First Person POV

He SEEMED TO regard me with disdain, and it angered me = First Person POV = NOT a lapse from POV since it’s clear narrator is interpreting expression so still limited to chosen POV#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

After I spoke, he SEEMED angry (he ACTED angry, he LOOKED angry) = First Person POV because narrator interpretation is clear

After I spoke, he WAS angry = LAPSE in First Person POV because the narrator cannot know another’s feelings unless the other TELLS narrator#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

First Person POV can use plural grammatical 1st person (we) to indicate group-think, when narrator identifies with a group with same feelings.

I hated them = narrator
We hated them = narrator sees himself as part of a larger group who thinks & feels the same way#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

A narrator can be either reliable or unreliable. If the readers deem a narrator reliable, it means that, for the most part, readers can trust what the narrator is telling them to be a reasonable interpretation of the events in the story. #WritingTps

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

If a narrator is UNRELIABLE, his interpretation and presentation of the events cannot be considered the most accurate version of the story events. It is up to the author to present evidence that the narrator is reliable or unreliable. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

Unreliable narrators are not necessarily lying: they may be unaware that there are different interpretations of the events they are describing. They may be in denial about something that another is doing, and this could make their narration unreliable. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

Dostoevsky’s NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND narrator says, “I’m lying,” seeming to indicate that he is an unreliable narrator. Later, he says, “I lied when I said I was lying,” which would seem to indicate he is telling the truth, though he is still not a reliable narrator. #WrtingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

It is up to the author to make it clear to the readers whether a narrator is reliable or unreliable, i.e., if the narrator’s story can be considered an accurate portrayal of events, but unreliable narrators are considered more psychologically realistic. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

First Person Point of View
• uses grammatical 1st person I, we
• only POV with a narrator
• limited to what the narrator thinks, feels, sees, hears, remembers, interprets
• readers in narrator’s head
• a narrator can be reliable or unreliable
* most intimate POV#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) September 7, 2018

♦

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Filed under #WritingTips, Creative Writing, How to Write, How to Write a Book, Writing, Writing & Revising

Tagged as 1st person point of view, 2nd Person POV, ambiguous Unlimited POV, dostoevsky notes from underground, first person point of view, inner limited point of view, lapsing from point of view, limited point of view, literary point of view, most intimate point of view, narrator, outer limited point of view, point of view, Point of View vs Perspective, reliable narrator, second person point of view, Unlimited Point of View, unreliable narrator

by Alexandria | 31 August 2018 · 9:40 am

Unlimited Point of View

Does Point of View (POV) terrify you? Thank all those critics and teachers who don’t know anything about being creative yet told you countless “rules.” POV is actually quite straightforward, though some individual POVs may be more challenging to write than others. #WritingTips pic.twitter.com/1DDiqCy0a4

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Don’t confuse POV with things that have nothing to do with POV: writing in past or present tense, using flashbacks or foreshadowing, good character development or realistic dialogue. None of those is POV and POV is not concerned with those separate writing issues.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Don’t confuse literary Point of View with people expressing different opinions in real life: in writing, different characters’ views of the same events is Perspective, not POV. Point of View is HOW something is written, and there are very few POVs in writing. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Points of View
• Unlimited, in grammatical 3rd person: he, she, it, they
• First Person, in grammatical 1st person: I, we
• Inner Limited, in 3rd person: he, she, it, they
• Second Person, in 2nd person: you
• Outer Limited, in 3rd person: he, she, it, they #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Unlimited POV is the only one that has absolutely no limits to the information an author presents to his reader, hence its name. Author reveals EVERY character’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, past, although not always at the same time. The easiest POV to master.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Unlimited POV is generally considered “reliable,” i.e., you can “trust” the story as it is presented to you (though some things may still be open to interpretation). This POV is generally considered to reflect the authors’ view of their characters. A very popular POV#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Unlimited POV may be ambiguous if the author (occasionally or often) presents multiple interpretations, or uses qualifiers / semantics.
Emma was not unhappy, Emma was very happy = Unlimited POV
Emma was perhaps not unhappy, Emma seemed happy = ambiguous Unlimited POV#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Multiple perspectives can be presented in Unlimited POV w/o changing POV, as @GRRMspeaking does in his Game of Thrones books. Each section/chapter reveals events from a different character’s perspective, but all the characters’ feelings are revealed in each section.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

Unlimited Point of View
• written in grammatical 3rd person: he, she, it, they
• the ONLY unlimited POV = no limits to information author gives to readers
• can show different characters’ perspectives without changing POV
• easiest to write
• easiest to read #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

I’ll do another POV next Friday: there’s simply too much information to do POV full justice in #WritingTips. (I mean, really, I wrote an entire book on POV.) Can’t wait till then or have questions? Read this: Who’s Afraid of Point of View?#WritingTips https://t.co/112r8aTYFk pic.twitter.com/TinfcRavy7

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 31, 2018

♦

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Filed under #WritingTips, Creative Writing, Game of Thrones, How to Write, How to Write a Book, NaNoWriMo, Point of View, Storytelling, Writing, Writing & Revising

Tagged as 1st Person POV, 2nd Person POV, 3rd person POV, ambiguous Unlimited POV, first person pov, game of thrones, Game of Thrones books, Game of Thrones Point of View books, george r r martin, Inner Limited POV, omniscient POV, Outer Limited POV, point of view, Point of View vs Perspective, POV, reliable POV, second person pov, Song of Ice and Fire books, Song of Ice and Fire Point of View, Unlimited Point of View

by Alexandria | 24 August 2018 · 8:54 am

How to Create Realistic Characters

Creating realistic characters is one of the most challenging things writers have to master. Are your characters flat, round, evolving, static (traditional character classifications)? All you have to do is create realistic people in your work (automatically = round) #WritingTips pic.twitter.com/0WTLJzKG8E

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 24, 2018

A round character is a “real” human being, with both negative & positive traits. Give all your characters both traits. Remember: some traits can be interpreted both ways. Sticking to something can be called both stubborn (negative) & persistence (positive). #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 24, 2018

If you like your characters, it’s easier to make them realistic, which is one of the reasons protagonists are often more developed than antagonists. If you can’t find anything to like about a character, figure out what the other characters like about him/her & use it#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 24, 2018

Some writing teachers insist that a character MUST change (evolve) from the beginning to the end of the work. If the character’s NOT changing sends a political, metaphorical, or symbolic message, their not changing may be key to realism. Protagonists usually change.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 24, 2018

One of best ways to ensure you have realistic characters is to let them live their own lives. Don’t force them to make the same decisions you’ve made: they’re not you. Regard characters as you do your children/spouse/friends: you cannot control them. Don’t even try.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 24, 2018

Know everything about each character’s past by the time you FINISH the book. You can write past out beforehand (outline) or discover it as you write. Other characters may know things you don’t. Scatter HINTS or glimpses, not big blocks, of character’s past throughout#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 24, 2018

To Create Realistic Characters
• make them “round” with both good & bad traits
• like them or know why other characters like them
• let them live their own lives, not yours
• know their entire past by the time you finish book & scatter hints of past throughout#WritingTips pic.twitter.com/8KJd6P3qbu

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 24, 2018

♦

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Filed under #WritingTips, Creative Writing, How to Write, How to Write a Book, Stories, Storytelling, Writing, Writing & Revising

Tagged as #WritingTips, creative writing

by Alexandria | 10 August 2018 · 8:53 am

How to Write Good Dialogue

Let’s talk about writing effective dialogue in fiction. Story, novella, novel — they can all benefit from having strong, well-written dialogue. I’m sure you’ve read badly written, wooden dialogue, but how do you write good dialogue? #WritingTips pic.twitter.com/WS8MU84P22

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

Have the characters talk only to each other. Never have them speaking to the readers. Don’t put in information that the characters themselves would already know when they talk to each other. Some crime writers put in stuff that ALL the characters would know & not say#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

“You mean when we got married in Florida?” she said to her spouse.

That’s an example of something a character would not say to a spouse unless the two of them had gotten married more than once to each other in different places. That info is for readers. Don’t do it.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

Make sure you know the characters’ history and relationship together so that you can reveal it when they talk to each other. Don’t include things the characters already know. Readers can understand dialogue more fully later if you do it right.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

“You promised you’d never leave me,” she said. “Even when you fell in love with that one in Boston.”

That line reveals the characters’ history, separately and together, and also provides some conflict that is ongoing. That’s the way to write dialogue.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

You can put action into dialogue itself by having the other character respond to it.

“Will you please lower your voice?”
“This is my house and I’ll…”
“You just woke the baby. You can go take care of her.”

We know attitudes, relationship, conflict, action = good#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

Dialogue should contain conflict. This is not real life, where we recount every second of our dreary day of work while our partner watches football. Put characters’ history, relationship, and conflict in every part of their dialogue to make it effective.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

If one character is not listening to the other, don’t tell your readers that: show it. Have them turning up the volume of the TV, answering their phone, leaving the room. Show us their nonverbal responses to the dialogue.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

Use only she said/he said as dialogue tags. Don’t use anything else. Ever. Dialogue tags are to keep the reader clear on who’s talking, not to show HOW the character is saying something. Using only “s/he said” as tags forces you to write stronger dialogue.#WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

Remember to use nonverbal communication. Characters don’t always have to respond with words: they can communicate perfectly well without saying anything at all. Observe people if you need to learn how to express emotions, communication, etc nonverbally. #WritingTips

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

To write good dialogue
• have characters talk only to each other
• include characters’ history, relationships, nature, & conflict
• don’t have characters say what others already know
• use only s/he said as tags
• include nonverbals
• remember silence & action#WritingTips pic.twitter.com/oiGingMUoI

— Alexandria Constantinova Szeman, Ph.D. (@Alexandria_SZ) August 10, 2018

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