| If you're a good writer looking to improve your dialogue writing, there's a very real chance your falling into what we call "The Circular Dialogue Trap." It's a problem we've faced ourselves, and we see it in at least half of our client's scripts. Have no fear, though. In today's article, we're going to point out exactly what the Circular Dialogue Trap is, and we're going to teach you how to avoid it. Keep your dialogue out of the toilet. Keep reading to find out how. |  |
it's pretty self-explanatory
Beginning writers don't write Circular Dialogue. They're not good enough.
Professionals don't write Circular Dialogue either. They know better.
The only writers that really fall into this trap are the good ones. The promising ones. The writers that understand how to avoid writing bad dialogue, but haven't quite gotten their heads around what makes dialogue truly sing - - those are the people that fall into the Trap.
If you're reading this blog, chances are you're in that third category.
You know that bad dialogue is choppy, and way too on the nose. And you know that good dialogue is rich with subtext, because in the real world, people usually don't just come out and say what they mean.
But that's where you get caught up. Too much subtext will sink your script. It may seem interesting and clever, but it fails to accomplish the main point of dialogue... To move the story forward, one line at a time.
Professionals don't write Circular Dialogue either. They know better.
The only writers that really fall into this trap are the good ones. The promising ones. The writers that understand how to avoid writing bad dialogue, but haven't quite gotten their heads around what makes dialogue truly sing - - those are the people that fall into the Trap.
If you're reading this blog, chances are you're in that third category.
You know that bad dialogue is choppy, and way too on the nose. And you know that good dialogue is rich with subtext, because in the real world, people usually don't just come out and say what they mean.
But that's where you get caught up. Too much subtext will sink your script. It may seem interesting and clever, but it fails to accomplish the main point of dialogue... To move the story forward, one line at a time.
The Circular Dialogue Trap
The Circular Dialogue Trap is what happens when writers use too much subtext in their dialogue writing.
Here's an example of circular dialogue that Chelsea drafted for this article:
Here's an example of circular dialogue that Chelsea drafted for this article:
Obviously this is out of context, but you get the idea. Trust us, neither of these characters are saying anything truly meaningful in this exchange.
They're both just talking around an issue, neither saying what they mean, nor even really responding to what their partner previously said.
When read aloud, this dialogue could sound kind of cool. It establishes kind of an interesting tone, and sounds vaguely like two smart, articulate people talking.
But in the end, it amounts to a big fat pile of nothing.
Even though the writer might have an idea for what each person means by what they say, it's buried under so much subtext that the conversation almost reads just like a bizarre list of non sequiturs.
They're both just talking around an issue, neither saying what they mean, nor even really responding to what their partner previously said.
When read aloud, this dialogue could sound kind of cool. It establishes kind of an interesting tone, and sounds vaguely like two smart, articulate people talking.
But in the end, it amounts to a big fat pile of nothing.
Even though the writer might have an idea for what each person means by what they say, it's buried under so much subtext that the conversation almost reads just like a bizarre list of non sequiturs.
Don't be too smart for your own good
If you've fallen victim to the Circular Dialogue Trap, it's because you somehow out-smarted yourself in your own writing.
You found a way to obey many of the basic 'rules' of dialogue writing, while still crafting crappy dialogue that doesn't service story or character.
Writing like this is akin to getting lap band surgery, but then finding some sort of loophole where you get to keep eating anyway. You've got the right idea at the start, but your execution just hasn't quite caught up to your intentions.
The most important thing to remember when you're writing dialogue is to move the story forward and reveal character. Trust that subtext will come as part of that. You can always tweak dialogue after it's serving those two basic purposes.
You found a way to obey many of the basic 'rules' of dialogue writing, while still crafting crappy dialogue that doesn't service story or character.
Writing like this is akin to getting lap band surgery, but then finding some sort of loophole where you get to keep eating anyway. You've got the right idea at the start, but your execution just hasn't quite caught up to your intentions.
The most important thing to remember when you're writing dialogue is to move the story forward and reveal character. Trust that subtext will come as part of that. You can always tweak dialogue after it's serving those two basic purposes.
how can you use this information today?
Comb through the scene you're working on right now and ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the meaning of this line clear?
- Does this line move the story forward?
- Is this line a logical progression in the scene? (even big logic jumps can represent logical progressions, depending on the scene)
- What does this character really mean and how can I say that more clearly?
Remember: In its most basic form, subtext is about relaying emotion through dialogue, not creating lines that are rich with hidden messages and intent. And dialogue, for the most part, is a straight line, not a circle.
Keep pushing forward, and you'll keep your audience along for the ride.
- Is the meaning of this line clear?
- Does this line move the story forward?
- Is this line a logical progression in the scene? (even big logic jumps can represent logical progressions, depending on the scene)
- What does this character really mean and how can I say that more clearly?
Remember: In its most basic form, subtext is about relaying emotion through dialogue, not creating lines that are rich with hidden messages and intent. And dialogue, for the most part, is a straight line, not a circle.
Keep pushing forward, and you'll keep your audience along for the ride.