Dec 2019
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Dec 2019
Dec 2019
NovaSapien
Dec '19

I have a character in my novel that I really hate writing dialogue for. Her pattern of speech is clunky and awkward for me. I can't just change how she speaks because it's part of her character's background. I don't know if I'm asking for help or advice, I just want to hear what other people have to say about my current predicament. Maybe hear if you've had this problem before?

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    Dec '19

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    Dec '19
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Maps
Dec '19

I can't say I've had the problem, but I find it important to sort of "become" my character as I'm writing them. Like... think about their thoughts and their thought process, think about how they'd act and their littler mannerisms. Sometimes showing how they move or act helps to give them something more than just the dialogue.
Do you mind elaborating a bit on her background? Did she have some trauma? Does she have a speech impediment?

NovaSapien
Dec '19

She's royalty. She uses a lot of large and professional-sounding words, which feel unnatural for me to write. I have to really think about what she says and it breaks the flow of my thoughts, making me forget what I want to write next.

NovaSapien
Dec '19
IndigoShirtProd

Example:

“My father wanted to bestow the royal crest upon you and the others, but you never returned to the castle. We eventually got word that Dedoz had been defeated, so we were bemused as to why our kingdom’s greatest heroes never returned to be lauded by The Crown,” Shiora said softly and understandingly, placing her hand on Lika’so’s shoulder. “I now understand your hesitation.”

Maps
Dec '19

Does she end up growing closer to other characters? If so, maybe you can try to have her come down from the dialogue she is speaking into something more casual. Like, once she gets to know others, she feels better being herself than being professional in her royal setting. Then you’d only have to worry about the Royal dioglue in serious matters.
I kinda hate to suggest it, but maybe mimic
something similar to how Dany speaks in Game of Thrones? It’s not over-the-top, but it’s commanding and shows power.

NovaSapien
Dec '19

That was my plan. I was going to have her naturally shift out of that way of speaking, but it's a slow process. I can't rush it, you know? It wouldn't feel right, being far too jarring.

Also, I'm not familiar with Game of Thrones.

rmdooley
Dec '19

Write the character's dialogue to say what needs to be said in the draft without any tailoring to speech pattern/diction.

On a revision edit, change her speech pattern to fit the character.

DokiDokiTsuna
Dec '19
NovaSapien

If having your thoughts interrupted is the biggest problem, just write what you basically want her to say and then 'translate' her words into fancier speech later on. I've recently learned to start doing things like that; it saves a lot of time to get what you want down on the page first, and worry about the particulars later.

Also, I think it might help to find a character you like who talks in a similar way, and model this character's speech after theirs. It'll probably help you with the fancy diction, and hopefully it'll take some of the hatred out of the work. ^^;

Swamp
Dec '19

I am definitely there with one of my characters, but I enjoy it at the end of the day.

One of my main characters has brain damaged that means talking is very slow and difficult for her. It means I have to spen forever on every single line figuring out how much I can cut, what she’d even bother to say, and which syllables are tricky for her. It means I end up tossing a lot of cool lines and having to give her exposiion to other leads. But I think characters limitations are what makes them really interesting.

I think there’s a lot of fun in it when you focus on what the character isn’t saying. If a charcter is polite and flowery, what are they talking around? If the character is abrupt and terse, what feelings are they having that they don’t express? There’s something very emotionally powerful about limited speech patterns because they make what does slip through all that more poignant.

Tanako
Dec '19

Yeaaaaa that's a tough one. this is the reason why I keep my characters simple in the speech aspect but focus more on personality. but everyone seems to have a bit of decent advice for you. sorry i've got nothing. :cry_01: just thought i should comment my thought lol