The Purpose of Dialog in Literature

I was once asked What purposes does dialogue serve in a novel?

The answer has to do with characterization. To show readers who each character really is, one only has what characters do and what characters say. After description of action, dialog is the second most powerful tool in a writer’s box for characterization.

If one wants to satisfy fans of character driven fiction with strong characterization in your novel, dialog’s main purpose must be to stay as true to the character saying it as possible. It’s a vehicle to show your reader who this person is by the way he talks, bears himself, thinks, interacts, lives the Golden-Rule, holds promises, etc.

When one begins thinking of dialog as a tool for an author to communicate directly to an audience for specific reasons, our attention is in the wrong place. Dialog stops sparkling. Dialog is a force with which to sculpt characters. It's too valuable to look at any other way.


Frank Creed will next appear before Chicago’s longest-running author series. For details, check back at http://twilighttales.com/ Check out their current schedule and interviews from past readers.