Dialogue Flow

Dialogue is an emotional landscape with action shaping characters different from another and often opposing with conflict.  Start with dialogue to create a sense of action, simple dialogue tags are said and asked.

Characters experience sights, smells, sounds, and sensations through some descriptive dialogue. 

     “Not to worry, I can use the phone inside,” Jay said.  There was a heavy salty fish smell blown in from the beaches and the air was unusually dry Jay noticed.  He turned sweeping his arm toward the ocean.

Give concise dialogue a purpose advancing the story with action.  For interior monologue stop dialogue for a few sentences, describe your character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

     Next to the car a black retriever was walking unleashed down the street, in front of a blond man and woman, they were both overweight.  They didn’t really look familiar.

     There had been loud crashing noises and shouts outside the night before.  Anna thought it could have been them.  She turned from the side curtain and walked to her bedroom. 

Maintain curiosity and alternate sentence length to stretch the tension in an exciting scene, for the reader to find the answer.

     He stood looking at another erupting solar flare arm; it bent first then its point stretched directly for earth.

     "There’s always a job for energy,” Nar said.  “Even people are placed energy to be guided by us.  They attach to our chosen energy; from repetition in actions and thought.  They continue unable to change then they are forever secured.”

     “Anyone that strays too close is attached,” Ilyon admitted, pursing his lips. 

Break up the dialogue sentence with descriptive character action, a pause and show the reader an instant of suspense.  Foreshadowing gives the reader an advance hint, a warning of what's going to happen.

Place details, elements, or information in your story that the reader can expect to connect the importance of later.

     “Contact our dimension and tell them to increase Wave Links,” Nar said.  “We will give the people on earth many more intruding thoughts to think about than they have ever realized possible.”

The main character learns something end the chapter with a cliffhanger.

Write down everything that occurs to you.  You can edit later during the revision stage.

Read out loud to check for clarity, logic, and flow.