Imagine Sir Anthony Hopkins, most known for his role as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.
Now, Sir Anthony Hopkins was once just Tony Hopkins, starting like all of us. He was 17 or 18, doing shows wherever he could. In one play, he worked with Sir Laurence Olivier, considered the greatest classical actor of his generation. Hopkins, playing a minor role, mustered the courage to ask Olivier for advice on his performance.
Imagine Sir Laurence at his makeup table. Hopkins asks for advice, and Sir Laurence turns and says:
“When you speak, you are the star.”
Then continues with his makeup. This is a real anecdote told by Anthony Hopkins. And the advice is crucial.
When you speak, you are the star. On stage with 30 people, if you deliver a line, the audience focuses on you. In that moment, you are the star. This applies to your prose dialogue.
In a story or script, when a character speaks, they become the star. For example, if you’re reading a novel and a cab driver says, “Follow that car? You bet!” you don’t skip reading that line. The cabbie is the star in that moment.
If you’re going to have a character speak, then what they say needs to reveal character or move the story forward.
Consider a scene in an IHOP. Two characters are conversing, and the server comes over and says, “Can I get you some more coffee?” Does that move the story forward or reveal character? Probably not. However, if the server says, “You look like you could use some more coffee,” it reveals a bit more.
Even better, if she says, “You look like you could use something stronger than coffee,” it reveals something about the characters in the scene.
The key word to remember is “deliberate.” Make deliberate choices when your characters speak. Ensure their dialogue either moves the story forward or reveals character. This approach will enrich your writing and engage your readers.
I hope you found this helpful! If you’d like to take a deeper dive into writing awesome dialogue, take a look at my book on the topic!