Writing dialogue (my way)

Since I am writing about “writing” I will be referencing my writing.  How did I learn to write? Well now, my foundation in writing came from the Ursuline nuns I had in grade school and the Marist brothers I had in high-school. Those folks knew how to teach English so I had, like it or not,  the “basics” ingrained in me. I do not have a degree in English grammar or composition or American literature. Heck, I did not even get to college until I was out of high-school for 18 years and, I did not study English.   Anyway,  consider the source when reading my tid-bits of writing tips.  I am not “trained” in the craft.

Onward and forward. I try to write dialogue just the way people speak. My novel, “The Priest and The Peaches”, takes place in a tough, blue-collar south Bronx neighborhood in the mid 1960’s. There is a lot of poor grammar in  the dialogue and I am sure it would cause some of the good nuns and brothers that I had long ago to either faint, or, at least get a very severe headache. There is a lot of “ain’t got”, “I dunno”, “nahs”, “yeahs”,  “gimme a break” and other NY accent dialogue. But, the reality is, the primary characters spoke like this. They still do. I understand that some of this dialogue may be confusing to some readers. But—it is what it is, right? My wife, who is from Ohio, can’t believe people actually talk like that. (I should get her some of the old “Dead End Kids” movies).

I often use omniscience in the characters to show what they are truly thinking so the reader understands the folly of what they are saying. Maybe I do that too much. I’m not sure. Maybe I should trust the reader more. As I write the dialogue I become the character speaking so I dialogue in my head as two or even three different people at the same time. It is never as if I am, for example, thinking as only the protagonist as he/she speaks to someone else. Does that makes sense to you?

I also try to use a minimal amount of “he/she saids”. I try to do it in such a way that the reader knows who is speaking even though I am not saying who is, and I try to go sometimes a half-page that way. It is a bit tricky but I think it is important. I also do my best to avoid long dialogue.  I’m a one or two sentence guy if I can help it.  I even have a scene in my book where the priest gives a homily and it lasts less than two minutes. It takes about fifteen seconds to read that part but the reader does get the point.

Okay, that’s it.  How do you guys do it?