Starting to Write - Part 2

It isn't that writing within quotations is that difficult. Complicated at times, yes, difficult, no. Like anything else, it's a matter of practice and sweat equity. As far as the mechanics go, I've found the Chicago Manual of Style to be an excellent source of information on just about any question having to do with punctuation. The challenge in writing dialog is making it come to life so that a conversation conveys the same impact as in the "real" world. The answer to this challenge is not found within quotation marks alone or even largely, but in the gestalt of writing. That is to say, the entire thought sequence or scene that the "speaking" part of the dialog is a part of.

If the goal is to replicate real life conversation in composition, then we must include other aspects of conversation to get the full effect. It is critical to include motion, gesture, expression and posture. I do not believe it is possible to have a real life conversation without these aspects of communication playing a major if not controlling role in conveying intent. And that means working outside quotation marks just as effectively as within. That's where the grace notes are, the warmth and color. For example, here's a short sequence from the first chapter of Exile to the Stars (HTML formatting restricts some styling):

Someone yanked a chair from his table and Jeff turned quickly to see who it was. The dils had not gone quietly into the night.
"Damn it, Carl, give me some warning! Where have you been?"
Blond hair fell over Carl's eyes when he sat down. He flicked it away with an impatient twitch of his head.
"Hell of a time getting here. Damn near civil war out there. Cops had two blocks sealed off just south of here. What you so uptight about?"
"Paddy told me Gado's scouting."
"It figures," Carl replied with a grimace. "Friday night and that bastard will wait until some poor slob is drunk on his ass trying to unwind." He glanced at the litter of broken glass. "Getting an early start, I see."

Now it must be noted that narrative plays a huge part in setting up dialog, and I haven't included narrative (as such) in the quote above. I hope to examine that aspect of writing in a later post. However, in only a few sentences one still gets a sense of Carl's personality from his body language. That's a strong element in the gestalt of writing. It isn't just dialog or narrative, but the whole milieu of writing that creates the image of life and reality, drawing the readier into the story and a different reality. Actually, writing in this manner becomes second nature once your characters take on life during those really tough first chapters devoted to getting the ball rolling. They do have personalities, and just like us tend to express themselves in familiar ways. As real personalities, how else could they express themselves? For instance:

"Tell you what, Jeff," Carl observed with a big grin, "I think Bugwit is going to have his hands full tonight. I mean, how is he going to impress everyone at the same time? This is going to be fun."
"For sure, and maybe this is the ngiht he'll shut up about that fellowship of his in Warsaw."
Carl halted abruptly and looked at Jeff with mock horror.
"Are you questioning his pilgrimage to the mecca? Tell me it isn't true! Why, everyone knows that makes him the resident sabrer expert."
"Well, it's a dirty job," Jeff said with an appreciative snicker. "I guess it does take a dickhead like Hathwaite to fill the slot."

It's impossible for Carl to be anything but what he is: irrepressible. Before signing off, let me emphasize that there are as many ways to express a thought or create a reality as there are authors. Some styles work, some don't. The above quotes are only brief snippets meant to illustrate a point.