I was afraid that I had used Dialogue for D, but I'm glad to see that I didn't. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about using Realistic dialogue while writing.
As an editor, I work on a lot of books for kids at our press. I've noticed that many of the authors write like how they speak. This is a problem because their audience is not 30+ years old. In order for that reader to understand and identify with the characters in their children's book, the characters need to sound like kids.
I have this same problem. Or, at least I did. I've become keenly aware of the words I use to make sure that they are representative of how kids speak, think, act, etc. The last thing you want an editor to say is, "Great story, can't connect with the author voice." Which means, the dialogue and narrative are not realistic for the storyline/age.
An eight-year-old boy is not going to say the following,
"Excuse me, madam, but could you please pass to me those scrumptious looking PopTarts?" Correct?
Most likely he'd say, "Hey! Can you give me those PopTarts? Uh...please?"
Have you read any kids books that seem like they've been written from an adult's pov, rather than the kid's because of the unrealistic dialogue used?
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Whenever I suggest to a workshop participant that maybe the dialogue sounds a little mature for a kid, the writer (invariably a woman, I'm afraid) informs me that she herself was a child genius & had a college level vocabulary by the age of 5. I swear I've never asked what happened to her since then.
ReplyDeleteMelissa~ I often get the same reaction. Many of them do not understand, or will cite best-sellers who've had language too high for the audience. I always say that best-sellers are not the books that new authors should be emulating. I guess those types of people are everywhere!
ReplyDeleteHehehe that's another reason why I stay far away from lit for youngsters. Can't connect with the voice.
ReplyDelete^_^
Misha~ I think it can be hard, especially for those who aren't subjected to kids all of the time.
ReplyDeleteI write MG too. A few people have asked how is it possible to write in the POV of an eleven-year-old boy. I think we, as authors, have to put ourselves in the characters head/world to create a convincing "voice."
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of the hardest things about writing MG -- getting that kid voice right.
ReplyDeleteSamantha~ I try to imagine myself as each character. I'm not perfect, but I've gotten so much better.
ReplyDeleteAndrea~ I agree. It is the hardest part.