Screenwriting Tips - How to Write Strong Dialogue

Powerful, attention-grabbing dialogue is crucial to the success of any theatrical production. Without great dialogue, you might as well not even produce your film. If you don't believe it's a necessity in order to craft a strong screenplay, you should probably do some of your own research. Rent a few blockbusters from the past few years. Watch them a few times. Pay attention to the dialogue and how it bounces between characters. There's a rhythm there, and it's your job to figure out how to create your own rhythm. This article can help.

There are a few common threads that can be found in every piece of writing that has great dialogue. There are four of them to be exact, and here they are: dialogue reinforcement, brevity, questions, and plosives.

Reinforcement is when one character repeats what another character just said. Example: one character says to another, "I love you." The second character quietly responds, "You love me?" That is a perfect example of reinforcement. By repeating what another character has already said, the line is emphasized and the audience will immediately recognize it as a significant piece of information. In my opinion, this type of verbal reinforcement is over used. If you incorporate it into your writing, try to use it sparingly.

Whenever one character asks another character a question, it's a solicitation for information, and it's a form of conflict - the second character feels compelled to answer the first, no matter how light the question. Questions are a great way to deliver information and to reveal your character's emotions. It's also a great way to convey animosity or tension between characters.

Do you know what a Talking Head is? How about idle conservation? Neither one of them belongs in a screenplay! Every line of dialogue must reveal information that will further your plot. If a character is just talking to talk, or to pass time, his or her dialogue should be eliminated. Why? Because a great script doesn't have any fat in it - it's a lean piece of writing; every line of the script is necessary to properly convey the storyline. The best type of dialogue is usually short dialogue. Long speeches rarely work. Basically, avoid lengthy dialogue and keep every line short and sweet.

That brings us to the last of the four elements: plosives. If I was a gambling man, I'd wager that you didn't know what a plosive is. That's OK because few people do. A plosive is a sound that forms a pocket (and subsequent release) of air when verbalized. Try a few these words and pay attention to how you say it: bubble, porter, basket, cat, power, train. Can you hear the pocket of air that you create and release when you say those words? Those are plosives, and they pack quite a wallop to the human ear! When someone uses plosives in his or her speech, you'll hear it very clearly. Their dialogue will command your attention. If the person is a strong speaker, no doubt he or she will emphasize the plosives as they're spoken, whether intentionally or not.

The only other recommendation that I have for writing strong dialogue is that you make sure it needs to be there in the first place. If a line of dialogue is not essential to your storyline, delete it from your script!

Crafting strong dialogue doesn't take a genius. Anyone can do it by simply paying attention to the words their characters speak. Another trait you must develop is the ability to delete any dialogue that does not serve the story (even if it's one of your favorite lines) - show no mercy when trimming fat from your script! Good luck with your writing!