How to Write Dialogue

Summary

This video delves into the art of writing effective dialogue in screenwriting, emphasizing that good dialogue is not just about natural-sounding exchanges but serves to advance the story's conflict. It clarifies the three main functions of dialogue: exposition, characterization, and action. The script uses examples from films like 'Glengarry Glen Ross' and 'Gone Girl' to illustrate how dialogue should be contextual and purpose-driven, moving the narrative forward. It advises writers to focus on the scene's purpose and character motivations, rather than striving for flashy or stylistic dialogue, which can detract from the story's core.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Dialogue is not just conversation; it serves specific functions in storytelling.
• 📝 There are three primary functions of dialogue: exposition, characterization, and action.
• 🔍 Understanding the context of a scene is crucial for writing effective dialogue.
• ❓ David Mamet's three questions for writing dialogue: Who wants what from who? What happens if they don't get it? Why now?
• 🎭 The context and meaning behind dialogue are more important than witty or stylistic dialogue.
• 🚀 Dialogue should move the story forward and help characters achieve their goals.
• 🔗 Building character beliefs and desires is essential before writing dialogue.
• 📚 Focus on the purpose of the scene and what the characters want to achieve.
• 💬 Make characters sound fluid and natural through consistent writing practice.
• 🖋 Great writers develop their unique style by writing in a way that feels natural to them.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the eighth video in the series on screenwriting and storytelling?

The main focus of the eighth video is to explore the concept of dialogue in screenwriting, distinguishing it from everyday conversation and emphasizing its role in advancing the story's conflict.

What are the three primary functions of dialogue in storytelling according to the video?

The three primary functions of dialogue in storytelling are exposition, characterization, and action.

How does the video suggest writers should approach writing dialogue?

The video suggests that writers should focus on the context of the scene and the characters' wants and needs before worrying about the style or flow of the dialogue.

What are the three key questions that David Mamet recommends focusing on when writing dialogue in a scene?

The three key questions are: who wants what from whom, what happens if they don't get it, and why now.

Can good dialogue be taught or is it an innate talent?

The video implies that while some may have a natural talent for writing dialogue, it can also be taught and learned through understanding its purpose and function within a story.

What is the importance of context when writing dialogue?

Context is crucial when writing dialogue because it helps determine why a scene exists, what the characters want, and how their dialogue contributes to the story's progression.

How does the video use the scene from 'Glengarry Glen Ross' to illustrate the principles of dialogue writing?

The video uses the 'Glengarry Glen Ross' scene to demonstrate how the characters' desires and the scene's context drive the dialogue, moving the story forward.

What is the role of stylistic dialogue in storytelling according to the video?

Stylistic dialogue can be enjoyable, but it is not the foundation of a story. The video emphasizes that the context and meaning behind the dialogue are more important for making a scene work.

Why does the video suggest that dialogue should not be the primary focus when building a scene?

The video suggests that focusing on dialogue before understanding the scene's context and the characters' motivations can lead to writing that feels forced and unnatural.

What advice does the video give for making dialogue sound more natural and fluid?

The video advises writers to write a lot and get used to the process, as this will help dialogue sound more natural and fluid as they become more familiar with their characters and the context of their scenes.

What is the video's stance on the common advice given to writers about dialogue?

The video argues that much of the common advice about dialogue, such as focusing on subtext or specific emotional verbs, can be more harmful than helpful, as it interrupts the writing flow and leads to overthinking.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Understanding Dialogue in Screenwriting

This paragraph introduces the topic of dialogue in screenwriting, distinguishing it from everyday conversation. It emphasizes the importance of context in dialogue, outlining its three main functions: exposition, characterization, and action. The speaker explains that good dialogue is not just about natural-sounding conversation but about advancing the story's conflict. The focus is on understanding the characters' wants and motivations within a scene, rather than on the dialogue's style or wit. The paragraph also introduces David Mamet's approach to writing dialogue, which centers on the context and purpose of the scene.

05:02

🎬 The Power of Context in Dialogue

The second paragraph delves deeper into the importance of context in dialogue, using examples from films like 'Glengarry Glen Ross' and 'Prisoners'. It discusses how dialogue should serve the narrative by revealing character intentions and propelling the story forward. The paragraph highlights that the style of dialogue is secondary to its function in the story. It also addresses common misconceptions about writing dialogue, such as the overemphasis on subtext and emotional verbs, suggesting that these can hinder the natural flow of writing. The speaker encourages focusing on the scene's purpose and character motivations to create dialogue that feels both natural and purposeful.

10:03

📚 Practical Advice for Writing Dialogue

The final paragraph offers practical advice for writers on how to approach dialogue. It suggests that dialogue writing should be grounded in the purpose of the scene and the characters' desires, rather than on achieving a particular style. The speaker argues against overcomplicating the dialogue-writing process with technical tips and instead promotes simplicity and natural writing. The paragraph concludes by encouraging writers to write a lot to develop their own style and to let the dialogue serve the story without being overly concerned with making it stand out.

Keywords

💡Dialogue

Dialogue in the context of this video refers to the written conversations between characters in a screenplay or story. It's not merely a replication of everyday conversation but a tool used to advance the plot and reveal character traits. The script emphasizes that good dialogue should serve the story's conflict and character development, as opposed to just being a natural-sounding conversation.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the art of narrating stories, and in this video, it is specifically about the craft of screenwriting. The script discusses how dialogue is a critical component of storytelling, used to develop characters and propel the narrative forward. Storytelling through dialogue is about more than just words—it's about the context and the purpose behind those words.

💡Exposition

Exposition is a key function of dialogue that involves revealing important information to the audience or other characters within the story. The script explains that dialogue can be used for exposition, where characters share information that is vital to understanding the plot or the character's background.

💡Characterization

Characterization is the process of revealing a character's personality, beliefs, and desires through their dialogue and actions. The video script uses this term to highlight how dialogue can be crafted to help the audience understand who the characters are and what motivates them.

💡Action

In the context of this video, action refers to the way characters use dialogue to achieve their goals or resolve conflicts. The script mentions that dialogue can drive characters towards what they want, illustrating their actions through conversation.

💡Context

Context is the setting or situation in which something occurs, and in screenwriting, it is crucial for understanding why dialogue is written the way it is. The script emphasizes the importance of understanding the context of a scene before writing dialogue, as it helps to create meaningful and purposeful conversations between characters.

💡Stylistic Dialogue

Stylistic dialogue refers to a unique or distinctive way of writing conversations that may be fast-paced, witty, or have a particular rhythm. The video script points out that while stylistic dialogue can be enjoyable, it is not the foundation of a story; rather, it is the context and meaning behind the dialogue that truly matter.

💡Subtext

Subtext is the underlying meaning or hidden implications beneath the spoken words in a conversation. The script suggests that while subtext is often discussed in dialogue writing, focusing too much on it can hinder the natural flow of writing and lead to overthinking.

💡Scene

A scene in this video refers to a unit of action within a screenplay that typically takes place in a single location and time. The script discusses how dialogue within a scene should serve to advance the story, reveal character intentions, and create conflict or resolution.

💡Conflict

Conflict is a fundamental element of storytelling that drives the plot and character development. In the script, conflict is mentioned as the core around which dialogue is constructed, with characters using dialogue to navigate and resolve these conflicts.

💡Natural Dialogue

Natural dialogue refers to conversations that sound authentic and true to life. The video script advises that while natural-sounding dialogue is important, it should not come at the expense of the dialogue's purpose within the story's context.

Highlights

Dialogue is not a conversation but a tool for developing story conflict.

Three functions of dialogue: exposition, characterization, and action.

Good dialogue looks like a conversation but serves a specific purpose in the story.

Dialogue should be used to pass on important information, reveal character traits, and drive the plot.

Context is key when writing dialogue; understand why the scene exists and what the characters want.

David Mamet's approach to dialogue focuses on 'who wants what from whom,' 'what happens if they don't get it,' and 'why now'.

In 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' dialogue shows a character's desperation and the stakes of the situation.

Dialogue should serve the story's progression rather than stand out for its own sake.

Stylistic dialogue is not the foundation of a story; context and meaning are more important.

Good dialogue should sound fluid and natural, achieved through practice and understanding of character and scene.

In 'Prisoners,' dialogue effectively conveys the urgency and differing approaches to finding a missing child.

The dialogue in 'Gone Girl' subtly builds suspicion and advances the investigation.

Dialogue should work to serve the story, not distract from it with overly flashy language.

Writers should focus on the purpose of the scene and the natural flow of dialogue rather than overcomplicating.

Many great films have dialogue that is not stylistic but serves the story well.

Overemphasis on subtext and specific word choice can hinder the writing process and lead to overthinking.

Simplicity in writing dialogue is crucial for maintaining focus on the scene's purpose and character intentions.

Transcripts

welcome to the eighth video in this

series covering the fundamentals of

screenwriting and storytelling

if you'd like to watch the rest of the

playlist you can find it linked below

or on the end screen of this video

when you think about dialogue you

probably think about iconic one-liners

show me the money

were writers with great dialogue style

what country are you from

what ain't no country i ever heard of

they speak english and what

on the flip side everyone knows bad

dialogue when they hear it

it can stunt a scene and pull you out of

a movie from on the nose lines

this is katana she's got my back to long

expositional monologues

so how do you write good dialogue is it

just a talent you're born with

or can it actually be taught let's start

by figuring out what dialogue

actually is dialogue is not a

conversation

the conversations you have in your

day-to-day life are not

comparable to dialogue good dialogue

looks like a conversation

but in reality it's a tool for

continuing to develop the conflict of a

story

first let's talk about the mechanical

side of dialogue so that we can get a

basic

understanding of its function again

dialog

is not a conversation it has a specific

function and a story

so viewing dialogue in this way can help

you create stronger scenes

there are three functions of dialogue

exposition

characterization and action in my

previous two videos i covered exposition

and its use inside of film

dialogue can be used to pass on

important information to other

characters

and to the audience next is

characterization

what a character says can help us

understand who they are

what they believe and what they want and

finally we have

action characters move towards what they

want by talking to other characters

and using dialogue to make decisions

work problems

and reveal secrets now that you have

your basic academic definitions

let's get practical many writers

struggle to write dialogue well

they think the problem comes from not

being able to write dialogue naturally

or failing to make characters sound like

people but these are not the core

problems that writers face when writing

dialogue

the most important thing you should be

thinking about when writing dialogue

is context dialogue

is first and foremost about context you

should be focusing on why this scene is

here in the first place

before you're even worried about

dialogue what do the characters want in

this scene

what do they believe how does this

scene's existence

move the story forward we know the

answers to these questions not from

writing dialogue

but from building our characters

building what they believe

and building what they want dialogue in

and of itself

will never create a good scene not even

the wittiest quickest

most fun dialogue will make a great

scene on its own

writing good dialogue happens after you

have a working definition of the context

of a scene

david mamet one of the best writers of

stylistic dialogue

said that when you're writing dialogue

in a scene you should focus on three

questions

who wants what from who what happens if

they don't get it

and why now notice how these questions

have nothing to do with the exact word

choice or flow of dialogue

they are about the context in which the

dialogue exists

let's take a look at a scene from

glengarry glenn ross written by david

mamet

and apply his questions to the scene who

wants what from who

i need those leads and i need them now

or i'm out

shelley is a salesman at a real estate

company shelly is about to lose his job

and needs the new sales leads from john

the office manager

immediately we get an understanding of

what the character wants

and what is driving the dialogue of this

scene

what happens if they don't get it if

shelley doesn't get his sales numbers up

this month he'll be fired

he needs these new leads so that he can

make sales

me you give me one premium lead you know

what the premium leads to

i know what the pre-premium leads cost

yeah i know what they cost

i generated the sufficient dollar

revenue to buy them but i cannot

sell [ __ ] why now

the other salesmen are doing what they

can to make sales and beat shelley

he has to get these new leads or he will

be too far behind

how does this scene turn the story

i need your help

i can't do it

john doesn't give shelly the leads

shelly is stuck in a really bad position

now

if he doesn't sell he's fired so now he

must figure

out how to get his sales numbers up this

sets shelly in a new direction

jon won't give him the new leads so he

will have to figure something else out

the dialogue works because the scene

works the scene moves the story forward

the scene shows characters working

towards getting what they want

the dialogue only exists to serve that

end so the specific style that the

writer writes in

is simply a choice not a core function

of the narrative

many film lovers enjoy fast-paced woody

dialogue and i do

too but stylistic dialogue is not the

foundation of a story

and good writers know this it is the

context and meaning behind the dialogue

that makes that scene work the beautiful

part about knowing what your characters

want and knowing the context of the

scene

is that your dialogue will flow much

better once you have a grasp on why the

scene exists

now you know why your characters are

talking and what they are talking about

when you're focused on making your

dialogue witty slick and cool

before you're worried about building the

correct context for a scene

you're going to write yourself into a

corner i want you to pause and think

about some of your favorite movies of

all time

do they all have amazing stylistic

dialogue

how much of the dialogue do you remember

from most great films

let's take a look at a scene that

doesn't have flashy dialogue but still

works very well for the story

this is a scene from prisoners written

by aaron guzikowski

mr dover's daughter along with another

girl have been kidnapped and detective

loki is trying to find them

loki suspects that mr dover has been

working outside of the law

to find his daughter so loki is

following him

let's return to mammoth's questions who

wants what from who

why are you following me

get in the car detective loki believes

mr dover took

alex one of the suspects in the

disappearance of dover's daughter

so loki is following dover but dover

wants detective loki to focus on finding

his daughter

what happens if they don't get it kids

go for more than a week

have half as good a chance of being

found and after a month almost none are

not alive

these men are on the clock every hour

that passes makes it less and less

likely

that they will find dover's daughter

both of them are looking for the girls

while both men want to find them they

have radically different ideas on how to

do it

why now and every day she's wondering

why i'm not there

to [ __ ] rescue her do you understand

that me

not you not you but me

every moment counts they have to find

the girl soon

or they may never see them alive again

what happens at the end of this scene

that moves the story forward loki

believes dover may not have taken alex

and is simply distraught about his

missing daughter

so loki lets him go and focus his back

on finding the young girls

notice how the dialogue isn't snappy

witty or stylistic

but it's still powerful and is used to

move the scene and the story forward

this should be your goal don't worry

about crafting the most perfect sounding

dialogue

worry about creating dialogue that moves

your story forward and worry about

creating the correct context

to actually build a strong scene let's

take a look at one more simple scene

this is a scene from gone girl written

by jillian flynn

nick's wife amy has gone missing

detective boney is questioning nick

about her disappearance

who wants what from who detective boney

wants to get more information about nick

so she hasn't yet ruled him out as a

suspect

so you got to the bar around 11 today

where were you before that just to cross

that off

home what happens if they don't get it

if boney doesn't get more information

the case could turn cold amy could go

missing forever

speaking of which amy's blood type god i

don't know i have to look it up at the

house

you don't know if she has friends you

don't know what she does all day and you

don't know your wife's blood type sure

you all are married

why now the longer amy is missing the

smaller the likelihood that they find

her

what happens at the end of this scene

that moves the story forward

boney is becoming more suspicious of

nick he doesn't seem to know anything

about amy

this is alarming to her she decides to

press harder on nick

going forward can they get here in time

for this press conference tomorrow

wow i have no idea i haven't talked to

him you haven't called your wife's

parents

i mean you can't get a signal on this

building i'd been in here talking to you

well call them please nick

now i picked this quick

unflashy scene for a reason the dialogue

isn't crazy

this isn't even a major turning point in

the story but it's still

following core narrative mechanics

characters are using dialogue to move

towards what they want

the dialogue isn't supposed to stand out

and be flashy

it's just supposed to work and serve the

story

and in a lot of ways maybe that's the

best form of dialogue

because stylistic dialogue can run away

from you and take away from the most

important thing

which is the telling of the story just

like great editing can be invisible

maybe dialogue can work the same way the

reality is

you don't have to write like tarantino

or mammoth or any of those writers

understand what you're good at there are

so many great films out there where you

never really thought much about the

dialogue yet you loved the story anyways

it's not that the dialogue was bad it

just wasn't stylistic

it was just good dialogue

a lot of what is taught about writing

dialogue simply isn't practical

everyone talks about constantly keeping

subtext at the forefront of your mind

or they talk about knowing exactly how

each line of dialogue has a particular

emotional verb behind it

like attack or punish or pursue or they

give all kinds of tips on avoiding

exposition and dialogue

and honestly i think that most of this

is worse than useless

because it interrupts your flow of

writing and it makes you overthink every

single line as you push through the

scene

so what should you be focusing on when

you go to write

ultimately dialogue comes down to two

things number one

focus on the purpose of the scene why

are your characters here what does each

character want

what will happen here that turns the

story and what or who

is standing in the character's way and

number two

focus on making your characters sound

fluid and natural

this happens by writing and writing a

lot the more you get used to writing

and the more you build the context of

your scene before writing dialogue

the more fluid your dialogue will sound

whatever style of dialogue you may have

will come as you write you have to write

to see what you like and see what you

don't like

great writers don't try to sound a

certain way they simply write in the way

that is natural to them

in this video i didn't give a detailed

analysis of subtext or specific word

choice

or all the other phrases and tips people

like to throw around to make non-writers

feel intelligent

and writers feel stuck and confused i've

found that when i'm writing dialogue

simplicity is a necessity i can't hold

five ideas in my head about exposition

subtext verbally charged lines

and diction while i also try to remember

what this scene is about

it's nonsense and it's confusing who

wants what from who

what happens if they don't get it and

why now

leave the rest in the classroom now you

have a much stronger understanding of

dialogue

and how it fits in your story and in the

next video we're going to be taking a

look at the midpoint

and how you can use a midpoint to

strengthen the second act of your

screenplay

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