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Ways to Give Your Character a Life. And Other Tips. Dashes and Ellipses in Dialogue . Helps it sound like real conversation Dashes indicate interruption: “Hey, did you see that - ?” “Yes, it was awesome!”
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Ways to Give Your Character a Life And Other Tips
Dashes and Ellipses in Dialogue • Helps it sound like real conversation • Dashes indicate interruption: “Hey, did you see that - ?” “Yes, it was awesome!” • Ellipses (…) indicate trailing off in thought / zoning out / pausing / searching for words “It’s just that I . . . I’ve never told anyone this before.”
Internal Dialogue • Before your characters do anything big, they need to be thinking about it! • Example 1: I ran for the stairs, thinking that it was the shortest way to the exit. Sure enough, I popped up on the roof. It was really high up. I decided to jump anyway, and I swung my legs over the edge of the roof, and then took a leap. I landed, BOOM, and rolled like I had been trained to do.
Internal Dialogue • Example 2: I ran for the stairs, thinking that it was the shortest way to the exit. I knew that I had to get out, and fast. If they caught me, they’d take me back to the home base, where it could mean torture. I wasn’t prepared for that, and the thought made my heart pound and sweat come out on my forehead. I popped up on the roof. It was really high, and I had to take a deep breath before I looked over the side. I knew I had to do it, I really didn’t have a choice, so I swung my legs over the edge of the roof, prayed that I wouldn’t break a leg, and took a leap.
Internal Dialogue • Which one isn’t “better” but more memorable? • Why don’t we use internal dialogue for everything? • Example: In front of me was a box for Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, and Cheerios. I knew I wanted cereal, but which one? I loved Cheerios on a normal day, but today I felt like some extra sugar. I thought briefly about the Rice Krispies, and dismissed them as too bland.
Ways to Give Your Character a Life • Where does internal dialogue come from? • Your personal reactions / thoughts when faced with a situation • What you think your character would do or feel • Physical details of their reaction / feelings (heart pounding, sweat, breathing, shaking, body reactions, how people would move in that scenario) • Knowing enough about your character’s private life
Learning about your Character • List-making • Personal history of character (Have they met this person before? What did they think of them?) • Rituals / World-building • Relationships with other characters • Steal moments from your own life