We bet you have seen Indian daily soap operas where cringe-worthy dialogue and unimaginable scenes are so common that it makes them more entertaining for meme material. ‘Rashi ne Khali Cooker Gas Pe Chadha Diya!’ and ‘He Devi Maa! Mere Suhag Ki Raksha Karna!’ like dialogues get hype on Television and on social media.
But if we go back to the 90’s era, we’d notice the real power of dialogue. Serials like Mahabharat and Ramayan are cult classics and favorites because of them! Dialogues are meant to reveal plots, character’s intentions and emotions, and the story settings.
To develop a character and move the plot forward in a story, it is crucial to have effective dialogue. Through a character’s spoken words, we can gain insight into their motivations, relationships, and perception of their surroundings. Also, dialogue writing includes not only the script of dialogue but also subtle hints of the larger context of the story. If your dialogue is well-written, the audience will absorb the information seamlessly. On the other hand, if your dialogue is awkward, it will detract from your story and distract your audience.
As a scriptwriter, you will have the opportunity to engage in a career in scriptwriting that is both exciting and challenging, as it requires you to use your creativity in various ways. Whether you are working on a fictional script or a documentary, dialogue writing is a crucial element in any project. It’s up to you to create effective dialogues that establish the setting and time period of the story while also revealing information naturally and compellingly.
In this blog post, we have gathered a few tips for writing effective dialogue in scripts.
Writing Dialogues as per the Character
Perhaps you are writing for a teacher’s character. What would you include in your dialogues? With full character description, you’d probably think of these: Their ‘I know what you’re doing‘ Stare, their classic line- ‘Is this a fish market?‘. To have an idea of these, you need to take experience from real people in your life or those who are in the teaching profession.
Incorporate the actions of the character
To keep the audience engaged with the scene, it’s important to integrate moments in descriptions and actions of characters during long dialogues. This way, the audience can experience the conversation as if they were present, taking in visual and other sensory cues alongside the spoken words.
Take Reference From Great Scripts
If you are a budding script writer and want to challenge your writing skills, the referring scripts of famous movies or dramas can help you boost your knowledge and skills. Writers like Gulzaar, Salim Khan, and Javed Akhtar are renowned for their great works.
Proper Punctuation For Understanding
Knowing how to punctuate dialogue correctly is crucial for keeping the audience fully immersed in the story. When writing dialogue, be sure to enclose it in proper punctuation marks and use single quotation marks when a character quotes another character within their dialogue. Additionally, keep in mind that question marks and exclamation points should go inside the quotation marks.
Don’t feel you need to master dialogue overnight. Practice to improve your skills, and perfecting any part of your manuscript requires a healthy dose of revision. Focus on implementing just one or two of these dialogue tips at a time, and you’ll write rich and compelling conversations in no time.
By the way, if you’re interested in improving your scriptwriting skills, you should check out the scriptwriting course in Thane from e-Drishyam.