Why Use Dialogue?

Dialogue, as you may already know, is a conversation between two or more characters. In real life, people have conversations all the time, so it makes sense that dialogue is a core element of stories. 

But there are other reasons to include dialogue in a story. It isn’t just there to be there: writers are specific in their choice of when to opt for dialogue over other storytelling devices.

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Here are a few reasons an author might choose to use dialogue for a scene:

To convey exposition. Oftentimes, characters discover information in conversation. If the reader and character are equally in the dark about something, having another character explain what is going on can be an extremely effective device. Fantasy stories employ this purpose when protagonists encounter new, strange worlds different from their own. It’s a direct and simple way of obtaining information. 

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To develop relationships. Paying attention to the way a character speaks is a great way to understand them better. In dialogue, the reader gets a chance to see how the characters interact with other people. For characters the readers spend a lot of time with, the way they behave around different people can inform how they feel about them. For example, a character likely won’t speak to their mother and their brother the same way. Even if they do, that still goes a long way in revealing what the characters are like in social settings. 

For characters with repeated interactions, dialogue can be a window into character development as well. Throughout a story, characters change—for the better or the worse. As such, relationships change, which affects how they interact with each other in dialogue. Do they become closer friends? Greater enemies? Do they develop mutual respect, or do they come to understand each other’s true nature? Ultimately, repeated interactions can give useful insight into changes in how characters interact, as well as what characters mean to each other.

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To create expectations. Dialogue can be very effective at transitioning the story from one moment to the next. One reason why this works is that time passes while characters are talking. Another reason is when characters are reacting to events of the story through dialogue, as they frequently do, they often imply what will come next. If a character reacts negatively to, say, being cheated on, and their friend declares that they’ll go get some eggs, it’s reasonable to guess that these two are going to go egg the cheater’s house, for instance. 

In other moments, dialogue provides an opportunity for characters to verbally plan what they’ll do next, which creates expectations in the reader for what is going to happen in the story. By including these kinds of conversations in the story, the reader has a smooth, logical transition from event to event. Maybe instead of getting eggs for the cheater’s house, the character suggests that their cheated-on friend gets a new partner to make the cheater jealous. This planning creates expectations for what the characters will do next, which fuels the events of the story. 

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So there we have it! While dialogue is a core element of stories, it doesn’t exist just because: it has many purposes. Dialogue can accomplish a lot. At times, authors can even be doing more than one of these things in just one conversation. 

Keep in mind, too, that there are more reasons to include dialogue in a story beyond these. The three elements I wrote about today are only a few reasons writers might decide to use dialogue. It’s a powerful storytelling tool. I know not everyone loves dialogue as much as I do, but hopefully this has given you an appreciation for it! See you next time, and happy writing! 

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About the Author:

Grace is a current college student working towards degrees in English and Political Science. Some of her favorite genres include dystopian, fantasy, and science fiction. When not reading or writing, you can likely find her rearranging her bookshelf or arguing with her cat, who is both her "best friend" and "archnemesis." She also loves playing games, from classic board games to card games to D&D, and she's very proud of her scrunchie collection.