Wooden dialogue lacks causality, tension, antagonism, conflict, subtext, and context. As far as story is concerned, it provides nothing of interest or emotional stimulation to the reader.I've identified four levels of dialogue;
Casual conversational dialogue, pleasantries, introductions and such. They read like the foreign language lessons I took in high school;
Hola, Isabel. ¿Como está? Hello, Beth. How are you?
Estoy bien. ¿Y tú? I'm fine. What about you?
Casual conversation doesn't have to be that wooden.
Expository dialogue relates necessary information better than in narrative, but is widely deprecated.
"Didn't you just go to the moon?" Jane said.
"Yes, but I forgot to bring back the tritium," Melvin said.
Context dialogue or subtext dialogue provides the reader with information that can be understood but isn't directly related. It involves the reader in the story, but might be too obtuse without wrapping narrative context. It requires interpretation.
"What do you want for dinner?" Mark asked.
"Whatever you want," Mary said.
"I want Chinese." Mark picked up the phone.
"We just had Chinese last night."
"How about pizza?"
"I'm tired of take-in." Mary said.
"We've got to eat something. I'm hungry."
"Suit yourself." Mary said. She walked into the kitchen and made a sandwich in the darkened room.
Mark glared at her silhouette hunched over the dining table pinching bites from the sandwich.
"Fine. I'm going to the bar."
Causal dialogue provides direct information that is essential to the plot, to increasing tension, to antagonism.
"That hurt," she said.
"So? You asked for it," he said.
"I didn't ask to be slapped."
"You asked me to wake you up from this nightmare of a marriage. Now you've got what you wanted, grounds for divorce."
"I don't want a divorce. I want back the passionate man that I married."
Causal dialogue is like playing badminton with a live hand grenade.
[This message has been edited by extrinsic (edited September 22, 2008).]
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