Use it or don’t?

Dialogue is a useful tool. How much you use will depend on your book’s genre and age range. We’ve both observed a correlation: younger audiences mean livelier, more pointed dialogue.

Some see direct dialogue, aka. the stuff with the surrounding quotations, as the least sophisticated form of writing. But my answer to that is, perhaps, but who is your audience? Dialogue seems to make up a larger part of middle grade and YA than say adult fiction. But I would also argue, in and age inundated with different forms of video media, we see more direct dialogue appearing in fiction.

Some argue that this leads to a less immersive experience. One critic of moder YA believes that the increase of both direct and indirect dialogue distances the reader from the character’s world. This augment has merit. In books like Forth Wing, and Red Rising, there is considerably more direct and indirect dialogue. This leads to moments when you are so caught up in the conversation that the character’s world becomes hazy.

But I would argue too that these are both YA novels. The heavier use of dialogue is part of all fiction geared towards this age range. We must also consider the writers and the world they grew up in. Anyone born after 1980 has had an increasing immersion of media. The world over entertainment has been growing faster and more readily accessible. This has led to faster paces novels and a greater use of dialogue. Or as some would term it, modeling a book after the movies.

As in all things in life, balance seems to be the answer. Dialogue, direct and indirect is useful, but should never become a crutch. Like all story elements, it serves its function but should never interfere with the reader’s immersion into the story world. But it’s also not 1930, and modern readers don’t have the attention span for long blocks of pros.