Newbies Corner: Dialogue and Narrative - Getting the Balance Right.

with Sharon Burke

Dialogue and narrative have important jobs to do. Are you using each writing style to best effect?



Achieving a balance between dialogue and narrative isn't easy. Image courtesy of Daily Mail.  

Many recent category romances are “dialogue driven”. Dialogue is interesting to read because it allows your characters to speak for themselves. It should seem natural, never stilted nor perfect. It is important to “show not tell”. Dialogue interwoven with narrative can do this very effectively. Try to avoid lengthy sections of narrative as these can make your work less reader friendly. Often narrative can be rewritten as dialogue, giving your story pace, and inviting greater reader interest.

It is important to give your characters distinctive voices reflecting their culture and personality. A common trap is excessive use of tags like “he/she said”; many can be replaced with facial expressions or short descriptions of what the character is doing. Tags with adverbs, e.g. “she said angrily”, are best avoided. Rather, the words used should convey the characters emotions. Sometimes narrative can convey irony, when the character means something different to the message his/her words convey.



In this excerpt from Down Outback Roads by Alissa Callen, there are no tags but it is clear who is speaking. Dialogue and narrative have been skilfully interwoven to create an impression far different from the spoken words alone. The narrative provides clues to the background and personalities of the hero and heroine. It is clear that Ewan (the hero) is attracted to Kree, even if he is not yet fully aware of it. The conversation heightens the tension between hero and heroine, and immediately arouses the reader’s interest.

“He met Kree's serious eyes. 'Tish isn't my wife.'
For some reason the denial left his mouth quicker than cattle through an open gate.
'Sorry, I mean partner, though she did introduce herself as Tish MacKenzie on the phone.'
'My brother's surname. Tish is my sister-in-law. The twins are my nephews.' His words slowed. 'Kree, I'm not married, and never will be. I'm a confirmed bachelor.'”







Balancing narrative and dialogue effectively is not easy. Too much dialogue risks your reader feeling bored and uninvolved in your story. It may not “ring true” and the reader won’t know why. On the other hand, with too little dialogue, your story may lack depth. The reader might feel that “something” is missing, and not know what it is.

Dialogue gives your story pace while narrative slows it down. However, without well-written narrative, the reader can never truly enter the mind of your viewpoint character and fully identify with them. Clearly, there is an art to writing good dialogue and narrative, and to appropriately balancing the two: an art worthy of your attention as an aspiring author.

Which do you find easiest to write: dialogue or narrative? Do you have trouble interweaving the two?



I love to love: We went on a South Pacific cruise with my father before Christmas. It was so special to spend extended time with him.

I love to laugh: I’m currently watching episodes from a boxed DVD set of the 1970s TV series Upstairs Downstairs. Mrs Bridges (the cook) is so funny. I wish I knew her.










I love to learn: Asking questions and finding the answers is fun. In this technological era answers come quickly but are not always accurate. This makes for great debates and discussions.


The winner from last week of the signed copy of The Farmer's Perfect Match by Marilyn Forsyth is Joanne. Congratulations! We'll be in touch.