KathrineROID
JulNoWriMo Procrastinator Supreme
Posts: 818
Registered: 6-15-2010
Location: The Flights of Imagination
Member Is Offline
Mood: Iffy arms. . . 
JulNoWriMo Title: We Will Survive
Word Count: 35755 / 50000    
|
|
Dialogue vs. Narration vs. Description
What is the proper balance for all these? I feel like there is to much dialogue in my story, that my description comes in chunks instead of bit by
bit as it becomes relevant, and that my narration is forced. So I'm an amateur.
The question is, how to you balance dialogue, narration and description? How do you get out of the habit of doing to much of one?
The only thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history.
My Progress Report
JulNoWriMo 2010: We Will Survive [WIP]
  |
|
|
DaeBrayk
JulNoWriMo Writer
Posts: 29
Registered: 6-29-2010
Member Is Offline
JulNoWriMo Title: Driftwood Souls
Word Count: 15760 / 50000
|
|
There is no objective 'too much' of one or 'too little' of one or another. The Hitchiker's Guide books have pages at a time of the narrator going on
about things that are *entirely inconsiquential to the plot* but it's always funny or thoughtful enough to pass.
The Harry Potter books are, comparitively, extremely dialogue-heavy, narrating only to set a scene or make a witty aside. Narration only replaces
dialogue when the actual dialoge would be tedius or overly complicated.
Then we have Ragtime, which has almost no dialogue.
All of these are considered well-written. Write whatever feels natural for the scene.
Yeah, that wasn't very helpful ;D
Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.
-E.L. Doctrow
|
|
|
jsights
JulNoWriMo Writer
Posts: 85
Registered: 6-15-2010
Location: St. Louis, MO
Member Is Offline
Mood: Writerly
JulNoWriMo Title: Ravaged Heart
Word Count: 17030 / 50000
|
|
The only advice I have is when you have a lot of dialogue (my novels are very dialogue heavy) use action tags, introspection, and description peppered
in between the dialogue. Example, if you have 2 people in someone's living room having a conversation, don't have them just sitting on the couch.
Have one character pace, chew her nails, pick invisible lint off his pants, things like that to help show each character's mood.
Introspection...if the character is revealing something heavy, for example, tell how the person feels after the revelation (this is just an example,
it doesn't have to be a heavy revelation).
I hope this helps some. These are tips I've learned from my crit group and online workshops.
|
|
|
indigowriter2.0
JulNoWriMo Writer
Posts: 79
Registered: 6-28-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: Ecstatic
JulNoWriMo Title: Pretending I'm Still Gone
Word Count: 50123 / 50000 
|
|
Yeah, I have this horrible feeling that I'm adding too much dialogue. So thanks for the advice. I'll work more on the rest.
How much a dunce that has been sent to roam excels a dunce kept at home.
-William Cowper
|
|
|
Nightsong
JulNoWriMo Frequent Poster
Posts: 474
Registered: 7-7-2008
Location: In my corner
Member Is Offline
Mood: Meh (Should be writing)
JulNoWriMo Title: Wish at Twilight
Word Count: 70327 / 50000
|
|
Mine tend to vary severly back and forth between narration and dialogue, either going almost all to one or almost all to the other. Description...
well that's almost nonexistent. Mostly cuz I can't write it.
I clearly need to work on that. Do not follow my example.
NaNo '07- Son of Somebody- won, now complete with about 80,000 words
JulNo '08- The Azure House- won, suspended, 61115
NaNo '08- Rhapsody in Slate- won, now complete with 151,550 words
JulNo '09- Dream of Dawn- won, complete with 70029
NaNo '09- Another Vein of Magic - won, in progress with 50000
JulNo '10- Wish at Twilight - 70327
I'm great at managing my time, I just don't have enough of it.
-Anwyn
|
|
|
crazypuce
JulNoWriMo Writer
Posts: 7
Registered: 6-30-2010
Location: Tokyo
Member Is Offline
Mood: weird
JulNoWriMo Title: Demon and fairy
Word Count: 50012 / 50000
|
|
I think I have a lot of dialog, my fiancé told me to write a movie script instead for my first novel.
I think as long as the story is just right that nothing the reader would need is missing it doesn't really matter
how much narration, dialog and description you have.
I like to be very descriptive too, that also helps the word count. 
|
|
|
rainbowjar
JulNoWriMo Frequent Poster
Posts: 126
Registered: 6-8-2010
Location: Maryland
Member Is Offline
Mood: triumphant!
JulNoWriMo Title: Unorganized Territory
Word Count: 75000 / 50000
|
|
I don't really put a lot of thought into the balance (at least at this point in the writing process): I just tell the story in the way I feel it needs
to be told. This changes from scene to scene: if there's something interesting going on in my characters' surroundings, I'll use a lot of description.
If the setting stays the same (like how at the moment my characters are stuck in a car at night), I'll use a lot of dialogue.
Just write how you think it would be interesting to read, I'd say, and try not to worry too much about what the "right" balance is.
|
|
|
![[*]](images/julnowrimo-blue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
