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SteveFor
Nov '18

I'm doing this manga on Webtoon (insert shameless plug):

And I want to improve more on the dialogue aspect.

So do you guys know any tips about how to compose dialogue in each page and how to do the characters feel more real?

(Btw you guys can post your own manga or comics as references, that would help me as well ^^ )

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    Nov '18

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BobbyjoeX
Nov '18

try to think about how people talk, like for example some characters will replace "i don't want to" to "don't wanna"

SeraphicMayin
Nov '18

There's this thread for Writing Dialogue filled with good advice:


And my advice:

So Dialogue in Novels and Screenplays/Comics and similar visual story forms differ slightly.

I've only practiced dialogue for visual storytelling so my answer is geared to that, but I think it applies to any good writing.

So Dialogue is the Text of a story. Text is not the same as Subtext.

What is said and done is not necessarily what is thought and felt. And often dialogue falls flat when it appears to be and say exactly what it is about.

A scene is not about what it seems to be about. Good Dialogue is a game we play with our audience that lets them in on an inner story that's happening under the text, hence, Subtext.

This is why when I'm working on a story, I never ever, ever write dialogue first. It's the very last thing that happens because the dialogue is the outward text and it's limiting because it reveals so little of what's truly underneath if you start from it.

Throughout the outline and the treatment stages, the story is told through increasing description and expression of the subtext, which is what the character really wants to express. Then when it's time for the script, the dialogue flows out easily because we can make a text that will imply the subtext. Dialogue is about conveying your character's personality. If you know it wholly beforehand from a written description of how they want to express things, choosing the right words to externally express that becomes easier.

This is a method of working from the inside out. Find out what's going on within the character will help you write what they would want to express into words they would say.

This is not to say some people can't write from the outside in, but personally, it does not work for me in the least.

That said, upon the editing stage when you're going through the writing critically, Dialogue [for comics and generally] ought to:

  • Be compressed and economical. Say the most you can with the least words. [Exceptions being a character known to be wordy in their speech.]
  • Have direction. There shouldn't be unnecessary repetition as you move in the story beat to beat.
  • and have Purpose. Each line is a step in the design to a turning point of the scene.

A key to recognizing not so good dialogue? Read it aloud. This works wonders.

For comics, it's best to never write a line of dialogue if you can visually express it. Ask yourself 'how can I write this in a purely visual way and not have to resort to a single line of dialogue?' Actions really do speak louder than words in comics.

Everything above is from my notes on Story by Robert McKee, if you're interested in comic writing I suggest giving it a good thorough read; it's helped me a lot :smiley:

zaish_dunac
Nov '18

If you're not good with your dialogue input, then focus on visual story telling.. I suck at writing in general but I still want to tell a story, so I focus on what I'm good at and slowly learn how to properly write a good dialogue

Luminosophy
Nov '18
1

My first tip is don't separate "how to write a manga" from "how to write a story". What constitutes as "manga story" is a lot more like an art style rather than a story style. Everything about them is always hyper abstracted and especially character interactions and dialogue are often far removed from reality.