By: Anja Racke (Cover Image by: June Dao)
Dialogue is typically an essential part of comics writing. Sure, you can have some comics with no dialogue at all, but the majority rely on dialogue as an important storytelling device. Dialogue can advance plot, advance character development, and even help establish setting. Here are some tips for writing effective dialogue.
1. Keep it short and concise.
Dialogue takes up space. Remember that all of your dialogue in comics needs to be able to fit in a word balloon which then needs to fit into the given panel. Be conscientious of how long your dialogue is so it won't cover up any important artwork.
2. Each character should have a distinct voice.
Everybody has a unique way of talking. Ideally, you should be able to read your comic script to someone without telling them who is saying what and they should still be able to follow along.
3. Pay attention to how real people talk.
Dialogue shouldn't be overly formal or stiff. Have your characters talk like real people. It's okay (and even encouraged) for your characters to use contractions, slang, idioms, etc.
4. Avoid providing exposition through "maid and butler" dialogue.
"Maid and butler" dialogue refers to scenes in old plays in which the maid and butler would gossip about the family they work for and conveniently reveal all the necessary exposition along the way. The term is now used to refer to any dialogue exchanges in which characters reveal exposition they already know just to inform the audience. This kind of dialogue sounds unrealistic and unnatural because there is no reason for characters to "reveal" knowledge that they already all know. Try instead to communicate important exposition in more subtle and interesting ways.
5. Avoid dialogue that is too on the nose.
Most people aren't open books. People rarely say exactly what they mean, and neither should your characters. Oftentimes what your character doesn't say can be more significant than what they do say.
6. Avoid unnecessary chit chat and niceties.
In real life, we spend a lot of time chit-chatting with others. We ask people how they're doing, talk about the weather, etc. But if you had to read about two people in a comic discussing the weather, it would be incredibly boring. So it is totally okay to drop the niceties and skip right to the part of the conversation that best serves the story.
7. Be wary of writing in dialect.
Some writers will try to change the spelling of words in dialogue to match the dialect of the character they are writing as. While a character’s dialect can reveal a lot about who they are and where they are from, if a writer goes too far while trying to write in dialect, it can be hard for the readers to understand what the character is actually saying. Instead of changing the spelling of words to depict a certain dialect, I would recommend just using specific word choice, grammar, and syntax that matches the character’s dialect.
8. Show, don't tell.
You’ve probably heard this common phrase used in regards to prose writing, but the same thing goes for comics. Comics are a largely visual medium, and many people who enjoy comics are attracted to them because of the artwork. While the writing and storytelling behind the artwork is hugely important, you as a comics writer need to allow the artwork to shine on its own sometimes. If something can be shown visually through the artwork of a comic, there is no need for a character to say it via dialogue.
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