Painting a story through speech

Shandi-lee Cox | Flickr

After doing a few critiques on Inkpop, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to tell a story--or more importantly what it means to me to tell a story. Everyone has their own way of storytelling, different styles of writing and breathing life into characters and their lives. Here are just a few thoughts I have on the subject.

Let's Talk

Personally, my favorite way to move a story along is through dialog. I love having my characters talk. Talk to each other. Talk to themselves. (I write mostly in first person, so this sounds a little less crazy in that context). During my planning stages, I think a lot about dialog. Sometimes, before I start working on a scene, I actually write out all the dialog ahead of time, leaving in only vital stage directions. This way I am able to concentrate on the characters and their words and actions and use them to shape the story. 

Ever since my first writing class in high school, I've heard people squawking the age old adage: SHOW DON'T TELL. I think there are many ways interpret this, but for me I've taken it to mean that dialog is a major factor in any story. It helps to move the plot along, as well as allows characters to reveal themselves. Instead of INFO DUMPS, a few lines of dialog between characters can convey just as much information to a reader as paragraphs and paragraphs of description. 

Let's Not Talk

But, there are times when a lack of dialog is the perfect thing for a story. Sometimes it is less what people do say, than what they don't say. Tension can be built through scenes by a stark lack of communication. People do it all the time in real life. We all have gone through conversations that danced awkwardly around important subjects or simply ignored things that probably should be said. 

Personally, I love using a lack of dialog to convey plot elements. Anything that adds a layer of realism to my stories is a plus for me, since I tend to write about paranormal things. That's another reason why authentic dialog is a must for my writing. 

In other news...

I've been obsessing over a few things recently. First, this song:

Second, Slings and Arrows, a Canadian black comedy about a troop of Shakespearean actors. I'm a fan of the Bard and Paul Gross, so this show is just awesome and highly recommended. Plus it's streaming on Netflix!