A brief dialogue on the Russian language. What properties a well-defined dialogue should have

A continuous dialogue should not be too long, otherwise it slows down the dynamics of the work. The conversation of the characters implies a real flow of time, while in general the plot develops much faster. If a long dialogue is nevertheless necessary, then it should be diluted - for example, with a description of the actions, emotions of the hero, etc.

Do not clog the dialogue with phrases that do not carry useful information.

The girls said goodbye:
  - Bye!
- Good luck!
“I was very glad to see you!”
- Come to visit us!
- We will definitely come. Last time we really liked you.
“Well, really, it’s not worth it.” Well then, goodbye!

Two authors from the former Yugoslavia, winners of many literary awards, will evoke aspects of everyday life if necessary and the importance of cultivating memory and friendship that bind them. Because we learn from Philip Florian, there is even a friendship between them, despite the various camps to which they belong, not affected by political propaganda.

The wounds of this war that turned the Serbs against the Croats, or the Bosnians and the Croats against the Macedonians, are not cured. But these are people who see it differently, they are "people with feet on the ground and the whole mind." As writers, they are referenced in more than 15 European languages. This is a shame that we do not publish.

It could be limited to one phrase: "Girls said goodbye."

A similar problem is repetitions of the same thought:

Did she say so: go away?
- Yes exactly.
- I can not believe.
- I swear! I gave you the whole word for word. And she said: go away.
- I do not believe. You, true, mixed up something.

The impressive biography of the two writers emphasizes the birth of great literature from great human dramas. Three will talk “about literature, friendship, war, drama and people's mourning” in English, without translation, at the College of New Europe. Short biography of three authors.

She studied English and literature in Belgrade, drama and communication in the United States. Upon returning to Europe, she received a doctorate with a thesis in this subject from the University of Rijeka. For almost 20 years, Dasha worked as a playwright and producer in Belgrade Radio, writing about 30 songs, both in Croatia and abroad. Philip Florian, who emerged from literary circles, is an atypical writer. Philip Florian, however, is the only writer who has made all literary critics announce their first Little Fingers novel, the best debut of the last ten years.

Exceptions to this rule, of course, can be, but nevertheless it should be remembered that an empty dialogue is boring, and a boring reader skips.

Unnaturalness

The dialogue should sound natural. You should not use complex sentences with five lines or expressions that are not used in live speech in a conversation.

You need to regularly water the sprouts, because otherwise they will have nowhere to take moisture, so necessary for their nutrition and full development.

This is not the way to say it. The sentence is better to rephrase:

Do not forget to water the sprouts, otherwise they will dry out.

An exception to this rule: the hero deliberately tries to speak in a book, and it is clear that this is not a stylistic error, but an author’s idea.

Deprecated Expressions

Thousand devils! - exclaimed the office manager, turning off the computer. “Ah, damn me if I don't avenge these channels!”

To check the dialogue for natural sound, read it out loud. Extra words will cut the ear.

Discrepancy between the dialogue of the situation or the character of the heroes

In the novels of the newcomers, there are often scenes in which villains in the heat of battle talk with the heroes about Good and Evil - in long sentences with participles in turns.

If you think that this is normal, try to beat the pillow for five minutes and at the same time retell the tale of the Kolobok.

Did you get something connected? Taking off my hat.

A runner immediately after a marathon cannot give lengthy interviews, a fireman in a flaming building will not ask: “Please, Vasily Ivanovich, give me a hose!”

Attribution brute force

Ivan looked into Masha’s face.
  “What a fine fellow you are,” he said.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have succeeded,” she said.
“Come on, it’s not worth it,” said Ivan.

We remove “he said”, “she responded”, “Ivan said” - and the meaning is not lost. The reader is absolutely clear who said what.

Extra adverbs and other specifications

It's not fair! - the girl sobbed whiningly.

In this case, the adverb duplicates the meaning of the verb. The word "sobbed" is enough.

Stamps look even worse.

Now I will deal with you! - grinning ominously  The emperor.
- I beg you, let me go! - screaming heartbreakingly  girl wringing hands.

This is why radio waves remain the best way to establish dialogue with an alien civilization, since sending a probe will take thousands of years to cover the same distance. But we don’t like it too fast: the way they travel, the Arecibo waves will still be thousands of years to reach their destination, that is, the Messier’s globular cloud, because its density of stars multiplies the chances of holding someone else’s life. In conclusion, it takes more than a thousand years to receive confirmation of receipt.

Do not answer! “At least until the decision to send a message in turn is made after reaching a consensus on the content,” said Douglas Vakoch. At present, it seems that interstellar communication is not ready to leave Earth. Arrival date: more than a thousand years.

Uniform attribution

“Don’t forget to buy some sushi,” said the grandmother, counting her money.
- And I have sweets! - said dad from the door.

Do not repeat the same attributive verbs over and over again, otherwise the reader’s attention will be fixed on these words. If you find it difficult to pick up an attributive verb, insert a phrase that will describe the action of the hero, and then his replica.

I went to the store, - said Masha.
  Grandma counted her money.
  - Don’t forget to buy some sushi.
  - And I have sweets! - dad's voice was heard from behind the door.

Talking Verbs and Labels

If possible, try not to supply replicas of heroes with overly speaking attributive verbs. Emotions should be conveyed by the very essence of the scene, and not by glued labels.

An example of such “steroid-inflated” attributive verbs is given by Stephen King in the book “How to Write Books”:

Drop the gun, Atterson! Jekyll grated.

Kiss me, kiss me! - Shayna gasped.

You are teasing me! - Bill drew back.

You should also not constantly remind the reader: this character is a scoundrel, but this one is a beautiful prince. When the villains “grimace” and the princes “contemptuously raise eyebrows” - this is a sure sign that the author wrote, “arrogantly ignoring common sense”. Characterize the hero should his words and deeds.

Long dialogue of short sentences

Where are you going?
  - To the village.
  - And what's in there?
  - Nothing.
  - What for?
  - Tired of it.
  - Why?
  - You will not understand.

Such a dialogue turns off figurative thinking. The reader begins to see not a mental picture, but letters. If the monosyllabic spelling of words is absolutely necessary in the plot, then it must be diluted with descriptions.

Accent and speech distortion

With emphasis and distortion of speech, one must be very careful. If the reader may at least for a moment have difficulty reading phrases such as “’ evolution is p’ek’s ”, then it’s better to just mention that the hero burrs.

Using a name in a dialog

Hello, Masha!
  - Hello, Petya! I'm so glad to see you!

A total of 21 US and Canadian diplomats say they were attacked with sound weapons in Cuba a few months ago, and the consequences are still felt today. All of humanity is fascinated by the idea of \u200b\u200btraveling to Mars, the colonization and destruction of new barriers. Conference space explorers border space researcher Mark McCorin of the European Space Agency, discussed the mirage offered by private companies on trips to Mars, but about many missions received Agency space achievements and setbacks.

What's wrong? During a conversation, we rarely call people by name, especially if no one is around. Therefore, this dialogue sounds false.

Retelling of another's words

I met Masha. She said: “Petya, why don’t you come to visit me?” “Because I have no time,” I answered.

Try to avoid direct speech in direct speech or convey other people's words as they sound in everyday conversation.

Today I met Masha. She asked where I disappeared, and I lied that I did not have time.

Retelling what heroes already know

You know, a couple of years ago, orcs attacked our northern borders and burned five cities. And then King Sigismund of the Fifteenth singled out three hundred thousand warriors on battle dragons ...
- Yes, this battle is not without reason entered into the annals. Remember how they captured the Magic Stone of Omniscience?
- Of course I remember.

Incorrect use of foreign expressions

Foreigners in novels of beginners often speak their native language with wild mistakes. If you are not sure how to write the phrase, consult a professional translator or a native speaker.

Search with slang and obscenities

If your hero “works” exclusively “by a hair dryer”, the reader may “not catch up with him”.

Mat in the literature is permissible only in small doses and only to the place. Exceptions are “avant-garde” novels with a circulation of 500 copies.

Remember that no one will condemn us for the lack of profanity, but to lose readers due to the abundance of obscenities is quite possible.

What features should a well-defined dialogue have?

1. It must be absolutely necessary, that is, without it, the development of the plot or the disclosure of the personality of a hero is impossible. An example is the conversation between Chichikov and Nozdrev (N. Gogol. "Dead Souls").

2. Each of the heroes must speak their own language. He needs to be endowed with his favorite words, think in advance how he will build phrases, what is his lexical stock, what level of literacy, etc. This technique will allow not only to pronounce the information necessary for the plot, but also to create a reliable image.

Nymph, her toddler swing, does the goods give? - the coffin master vaguely said. “Can it please the buyer?” The coffin - it requires as much as one forest ...
  - What? - Ippolit Matveyevich asked.

Yes, here is the "Nymph" ... Their three families from one merchant live. Already they have not the same material, and the finish is worse, and a liquid brush, her to the swing. And I am an old company. Founded in nineteen seven. I have a coffin - a pickle, selective, amateur ...

I. Ilf and E. Petrov. "Twelve Chairs"

It should be remembered that the heroes cannot behave the same with everyone and talk in the same manner with the Queen and the port loader.

3. Heroes should not talk in a vacuum. Create a living world around them - with smells, sounds, decor, weather, lighting, etc.

Evening at the end of June. A samovar has not yet been removed from the table on the terrace. Mistress peels berries jam. A friend of her husband, who came to visit the cottage for a few days, smokes and looks at her sleek round arms, naked to the elbows. (A connoisseur and collector of ancient Russian icons, an elegant and dry-built man with a small trimmed mustache, with a lively look, dressed as for tennis.) He looks and says:

Kuma, can I kiss my hand? I can’t calmly watch.

Hands in juice - substitutes a shiny elbow.

Slightly touching his lips, he hesitates:
  “Kuma ...”
  - What the hell?
  “You know what the story is: one man's heart went out of his hands, and he said to his mind: goodbye!”
  “How did this heart get out of hand?”
  - This is from Saadi, Kuma. There was such a Persian poet.

I. Bunin. Kuma

4. Let the heroes not only speak, but also gesticulate, move, grimace, etc.

Oh no no no! - exclaimed the artist, - but did they really think that these were real pieces of paper? I do not allow the thought that they do it consciously.
The barman looked crookedly and sadly, but said nothing.
- Are scammers really? - the mage anxiously asked the guest, - are there really scammers among Muscovites?
In response, the barman smiled so bitterly that all doubts disappeared: yes, there are scammers among Muscovites.

M. Bulgakov. "The Master and Margarita"

5. Make sure that the speech of the heroes corresponds to the place, time, mood and individual characteristics of the heroes. If a person woke up from a hangover, he is unlikely to be able to joke with the girls; if a convict lumberjack fell on a sledgehammer’s leg, he won’t exclaim: “Ah, how painful!”

6. The length of the sentences in the dialogue should be correlated with the speed of development of events. In crisis situations, the person speaks briefly; at home by the fireplace can afford flowery turns and poetic comparisons.

In fact, a dialogue is a conversation or conversation, the exchange of statements or remarks. In literary and artistic works, dialogues play a very important role, because in addition to the so-called “dilution” of long descriptions, they are designed to convey important information to the reader in a more vivid and attractive form. And all because the replicas of the heroes transmitted on the pages of the novels retain the individual characteristics of those who pronounce them. Therefore, it is very important that the dialogue was built not only competently in terms of punctuation, but also added a spark to the narrative.
  To achieve this goal, you need to consider several points.

1. informational content.
  The exchange of remarks between the characters serves to convey to the reader important plot information in an attractive form for him. Faced in the pages of your story, the characters speak among themselves not just about anything. They share information that is important for understanding the entire text as a whole, they provide explanations for events taking place in the plot, directing the reader’s thoughts in the right direction.
  Thus, dialogues are an excellent tool for the author to help develop the plot, reveal the characters and motives of the characters. However, do not bend. No need to turn dialogs into a set of dry facts. And the main rule: the dialogue should merge with the plot, must correspond to the context of the scene.

2. naturalness.
Dialogues of characters should look natural, as living people usually say in life. If in writing texts we use various turns, participial or participial, then in the replicas of heroes they should not be. Agree, no mother will tell her child: “Collect toys lying on the floor by placing them in a box in the closet!”, No, most likely she will say this: “Well, quickly remove all the toys from the floor ! "
  Thus, all dialogs are written in a conversational style of speech, but taking into account the requirements of the plot. For example, a lecturer at the university, entering the audience, says: “Hello!”, And friends at the meeting say: “Hello.” A student who comes to take an exam will blurt out: “Hello!”
  In order for the dialogue to be natural, resort to colloquial expressions. Observe how people on the street say what phrases they use or individual words. This will help you make your own replicas.

3. correspondence with the characters.
  It is very important. All characters speak according to their upbringing and education, age, gender, religion and so on. Before you build dialogue with him, think about what your character is? Educated or not, what education did he receive? Does he belong to the category of intellectuals or to simple laborers, does he have a criminal record or what is his circle of contacts. All these points will help you think through his personal vocabulary. Agree, not a single judge in the court will express himself in prison jargon. And the children in the kindergarten will not speak as news anchors on the TV channel.

4. simplicity and clarity.
  The dialogue should be such that the reader will never have the question "Who says this?" Very often, some authors, in order to get away from the hackneyed phrases “said,” “answered,” “asked,” and so on, try to rebuild the structure of the dialogue. Actually, this structure looks normal like this: "P, - a, -p." That is, of course, “P” is the character’s words, “A” is the author’s words. The character speaks his cue, and the author explains it, determining who said it and how.
  In general, there is nothing shameful in using the words "said" and there are none like it. Moreover, they can be replaced with synonyms, or a description of the actions of the hero at the time the phrase is pronounced. The main thing is not to overdo it. The reader should always know who is speaking at the moment. Moreover, without returning to previous remarks, counting out “the first - the second, yeah, these are the words of Sergey!”.
Here's what it looks like, say, with Stephen King in the shooter novel from the Dark Tower series:
» “As far as I remember, he was here all the time ... North, I mean, not God.” - She burst out laughing hoarsely in the darkness.»
  As you can see, everything is very simple, the phrase of the heroine, then the author’s explanation. Moreover, instead of “she said” it is used “She laughed hoarsely in the darkness.”
  Notice how in this dialog phrase, the author conveyed not only information about a certain hero named North, but also about the heroine herself, as well as the atmosphere in which the conversation takes place.

This is the theory. Now some practical tips.

- Avoid being straightforward.
  Straightforward phrases are those phrases that directly convey information, without emotional coloring. In straightforward dialogs, characters say what they think. It will probably be easier to show with an example.
  For a starting point, we’ll come up with a very banal, boring situation. For example, in the morning at the office, colleagues Ivan and Svetlana met. What kind of dialogue can happen between them?

Good morning, Svetlana!
  - Good morning, Ivan.
  “You look sad.”
  - Yes you are right. I'm sad. Do you want to know why?
  - Yes I want to….

I think enough. I think that such a dialogue beyond these words will not be read by anyone. What are its flaws? Straightforwardness. The phrases are dry, faded. The conversation of these people is boring, not interesting, not attractive. It feels like robots are talking, not people. In these dry lines you can’t see life, you can’t see the characters of the heroes. The dialogue is flat, colorless, fresh.

- create a conflict
  Conflict in this case does not imply a fight or abuse between characters. Conflict is a conflict of interest. It is not necessarily expressed in high-profile debates. It is enough to contrast the desires of the characters. For example, one wants to chat, another does not, or one wants to do something, the other does not want to do this. Play it and your dialogs come to life:

Hi Svetik, why are you so dead?
  - Nothing, leave me alone!
  - Well, I'm not blind, I see that something happened! Come on, lay it out!
  - Yes, it's not your business, Ivan, do not meddle in the soul!
  “You know, I won’t leave me alone.”
  “Well, you see, my cat is gone.”

Feel how the mood of this dialogue has changed? He gained life through simple reception. Svetlana did not want to say anything, but Ivan insisted on a conversation. After all, this is quite a life situation.

- create volume
Volume in the text is always important. Our life is multifaceted, we are not only surrounded by voluminous objects, but also sounds and smells. We do several things at the same time, and this is normal for a living person. When writing literary work  this also needs to be considered. During a conversation with anyone, I do not stand rooted to the spot. We are gesturing, we are moving, dancing, nodding our heads. In a word, we do a lot of actions. In addition, we also have facial expressions, we smile, we reduce eyebrows, wrinkle our foreheads. Because we are living people. Let's try to add volume to our dialogue from an example:

Hello, Svetik! - exclaimed Ivan, seeing her at the door, - why are you so dead? he asked, noticing her flattened eyebrows and drooping corners of her lips.
  - Nothing, leave me alone! she answered, waving her hand at him, and tried to slip past to her desk.
  “Well, I'm not blind,” the colleague did not give up, grabbing her by the elbow, “I see that something happened!” Come on, lay it out! he demanded, taking her aside, to the wall.
  - Yes, this is not your business, Ivan, - Svetlana tried to free her hand, wrinkling from pain, - do not go into the soul!
  “You know,” he said softly, “I will not leave you alone.”
  “Well, you see,” answered Sveta quite quietly, with tears in her voice, “my cat disappeared.”

Well, quite another matter! The dialogue came to life, the heroes came to life, they say they have a mood, they move, do something.

- correct the mistakes
  Read the resulting dialogue. If possible, out loud, with expression. You will immediately see what needs to be corrected. Correct punctuation is very important for dialogs. If you forgot to put a comma or dash somewhere, the reader may not understand its meaning. Perhaps somewhere you need a question mark, or ellipsis. Remember, punctuation is what gives the text expressiveness. Therefore, one must be especially careful with this.

In conclusion, I want to say the following. Your characters communicate to the extent that you yourself can communicate. If your vocabulary is scarce, then you cannot create an eloquent hero. Read more, pay attention to experienced writers, learn from them to write their dialogues.
  Try to invent your own phrases and aphorisms. Let your characters make unexpected remarks, but in accordance with the context. Learn to be original.