Eavesdropping as a Writing Research Skill By Karen McCullough
I
frequently give talks and workshops on writing dialogue and among other tips
for learning to do it well, I include a suggestion that you eavesdrop on
various conversations to get a feel for how people really talk.
I
know your mother taught you that eavesdropping was rude and even wrong—at least
my mother did. But this is important writer research so go ahead and do
it. But, please, be discreet about it.
Restaurants
are a great venue for eavesdropping, as are movie theaters, stores, almost any
public place. Pretend to be reading or watching something else but listen to
the way people talk. If you can do it discreetly, take notes and write down
snatches of dialogue.
Yes,
I’ve done this myself. A few things jump out at you.
A
lot of conversation is pretty bland and fits into the category of social
nicety. Most of that can be ignored in your writing unless there’s something
unusual or compelling about it.
Then
there will be some that is completely incomprehensible. Can be useful in
certain situations in a story where your character is in a particular
situation, such as a job or mission that include specialized vocabulary and
terminology. But it has to be done
carefully or it can lose the reader entirely when they don’t understand what’s
going on.
In
the rest of the talk, you should find your inspiration. Listen carefully to how
different people talk, the rhythms of their speech and the actual words used.
It can be fascinating. I like to sit in a booth and try to identify the ages of
the people in the seats behind me just from their conversation. Sometimes it’s
worth trying just to listen to the words and ignore the tones or rhythms,
because word choices are so key in making dialogue ring true. But those word and sentence sounds, rising
and fall inflections, and emphases also play a part in making your dialogue
soar.
Finally,
read the dialogue aloud yourself and you’ll begin to hear if it works or not.
Sometimes the very words will force you to read a sentence in a certain way.
When that happens, you’ve nailed it.
And
when readers are sure they’re listening to real people talk, you know you’ve
done your job as an author.
Karen McCullough is the author of a dozen published
novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as
well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and
has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Daphne, Prism,
Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests.
Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press
publications in the mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She
has three children, six grandchildren (plus one on the way) and lives in
Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor
Blurb
for Wired for Murder: Most of the time, Heather McNeil loves
her job as assistant to the director of the Washington DC Market Show Center.
Because she’s a good listener and even better at solving problems, her boss
assigns her to handle a lot of the day to day issues that arise during the
shows, exhibits, and conferences being held there. When Heather becomes an unwilling audience to
murder during the Business Technology Expo and later finds the body, she’s
willing to let the police take care of it. But she soon learns more than she
wanted to know about the victim and all the people who really didn’t like him
very much.
Buy:
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F81SNDQ
Buy:
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F81SNDQ
·
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wired-for-murder-karen-mccullough/1124077937?ean=9781535020275
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