While
continually working on my own manuscript and edits I have tried to be a voracious reader
of other works. The idea being that the more often and varied my exposure to
well written work, the better my own writing will become.
One
of the things that I am noticing in reading from the stack of books by my bed
and from dialogue contained in the variety of movies I watch is the importance
of what I call “un-answered” dialogue. When real people talk, questions go
un-answered. They answer questions with questions or even ignore them
altogether. The best authors can thinly thread these INCOMPLETE conversations
together so that the motivation of each evasive speaker remains apparent to the
reader, even if undisclosed to other characters in the story.
Such
dialogue scripting can reveal a great deal about the characters themselves, the
status and depth of the relationship of those speaking, the importance each
places on the subject matter and it also helps to create a backdrop to the
drama being told. As readers, reason tells us that these characters must have
cause or motivation for being evasive and avoiding disclosure.
An
element of mystery creeps in through a backdoor and helps to sink that all
important ‘hook’ that we authors desire to set with each and every paragraph, page,
chapter and work, as we ratchet the tension and keep our readers turning to the
next page.
Doug...so true!! I'm still in the hunt for new authors to read and follow. I'm a fan of Joel C Rosenberg, and I'm in the hunt for two of his books. I like his style of writing.
ReplyDeleteYes, Doug, I like your analysis of answering questions. It does reveal the motivations of the speakers. And don't forget the tried and true answering a question with a reply to an entirely different question, often unasked. Politicians are masters of this art.
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