Dialogue can be a serious challenge to the average writer. In attempting to avoid info dumps, they will use dialog in long Joe Explainer fashion.

So I want to talk about dialog as a vehicle for it's principle purposes: to reveal the desires and relationships of the characters.

Noah Lukeman, writing in the First Five Pages, says of dialog "In real life, most dialogue is odd: clipped, repetitious, filled with unknown, personal references."

It can get used to get across beliefs, facts, relationships, all at the same time, if the facts are filtered through the emotions and pov of the characters. One of my personal favorites is to have two characters arguing over something and bringing the facts out in the course of it, each one interpreting the facts/info dump differently.

"I didn't spend twenty damned years in the military just to.... now."

Okay, you have insinuated not only some information about the character, but you have also given his attitude toward whatever is currently happening.

And from Blood Rites, my current novel,


“That I hope Mephistis’ rites are over. The vibrations always leak out. The cellars aren’t shielded enough.” The terror, suffering, and deaths of the victims in Mephistis’ rites always caused Isranon physical, mental and emotional pain, therefore he tried hard to avoid being present when they were being held.
Nevin gave a snort. “There would be no rites to pain you if we returned to Claw’s Valley.”
“I would like to go home, but I can’t. Mephistis needs me.”
“Being with the prince grows more dangerous by the day, Isranon. His fate will overtake you if you do not leave him.”
“When my fate comes for me, it comes. I will accept it like a man, unflinching.”
“That’s your father talking. You should shed yourself of it,” Nevin growled in his coarse lycan brogue.
“My father was a good man.”
“Your father is a dead man. The three of us should return to the valley.”
“I can’t go home. I can’t leave Mephistis. I owe him my life.”
“He’s been taken by the Beast. You’ve known it for months. The battle is lost. Let go of it.”
“No. I will never leave him. He is my prince and my friend. If fate decrees that I must die beside him, then I will not flinch from it. I will meet fate with my honor intact.”
“Take hold of life with both your hands and not surrender to fate, my brother.”
Isranon started to answer and stopped as two familiar figures stepped out of the house. He froze.
“See to your prince,” Hoon said. “Anksha was a bit rough.”

There is a lot of information there and it is relatively painlessly presented to the reader. Some of it is merely clues to other matters, but at least we know that Isranon's father is dead, that he imparted an attitude to Isranon that Nevin disapproves of, and that Isranon is having some problems with the necromantic rites being performed around him. This is far preferable to a long paragraph of background information. It also shows the relationship, to some degree, between Nevin and Isranon. Two men with very different philosophies of life.

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Blood Rites is available at:

www.renebooks.com/eb.php3?ebookid=21278

www.ebookad.com/eb.php3?e...b0633bdc47


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Some brief creds, a partial list

articles published in:
Movieline *** Cinefantastique *** Washington Post Book World *** Los Angeles Times *** Los Angeles Drive Guide *** Black Belt *** Martial Arts Weapons *** Monsterland *** Thrust: Science Fiction in Review *** Science Fiction Review

Former MPAA Accredited Journalist.
Currently Active member, SFWA, HWA