1. Importance of Subtext: Dialogue should reflect how people communicate in real life—rarely straightforward. Characters often withhold information, hide emotions, and avoid certain topics, creating a layer of subtext beneath their spoken words. This underlying meaning is what makes conversations feel authentic and engaging.
Example: In a dialogue between a teenage girl, Dionne, and her father, Dionne says the party was “great” but her body language (plastered smile, dry mouth) and visceral reactions (trembling hands) reveal she’s hiding something distressing. Her father remains oblivious to her discomfort, but the reader understands that Dionne is nervous, possibly guilty, and certainly hiding something significant about the party.
2. Techniques to Show Hidden Emotions:
- Over- and Underreactions: Characters reacting unexpectedly to situations alert readers to underlying issues. An overreaction can signify unresolved emotions, while an underreaction may indicate suppression. These reactions are tied to the character’s backstory and previous experiences, making their emotional responses more layered and complex.
- Tics and Tells: Characters have unconscious habits that reveal their true feelings, such as covering their mouth, spinning a wedding ring, or excessive blinking. These small, involuntary actions can act as indicators that a character is hiding something or feeling anxious.
- Fight, Flight, or Freeze Responses: Characters’ physiological responses to threats can manifest in confrontational behavior, avoidance, or inaction, respectively. Understanding which response a character defaults to can provide deeper insights into their personality and coping mechanisms.
Example: A character’s sudden, excessive reaction to a minor event, like spilling a drink, can hint at deeper unresolved conflicts or past traumas. Conversely, a subdued reaction to a major event, like a job loss, might indicate suppression of emotions or a coping strategy learned from past experiences.
3. Expressing Emotion through Nonverbal Cues:
- Body Language: Essential for showing emotion, like a clenched fist indicating anger or a slumped posture indicating defeat. Body language can often say more than words, providing a visual representation of a character’s internal state.
- Visceral Reactions: Physical reactions like a racing heart, sweaty palms, or a lurching stomach can reveal true emotions. These visceral responses are automatic and often uncontrollable, making them a reliable indicator of a character’s true feelings.
- Thoughts and Dialogue: Internal monologues and spoken words must align with the character’s emotional state for authenticity. While dialogue might be misleading, thoughts are generally more honest, providing a window into the character’s true emotions and intentions.
Example: A character’s posture (spine straight as a pencil) and the grip on a vinyl purse enhance the portrayal of her anger and frustration during a tense conversation. These physical cues, combined with her internal monologue, offer a complete picture of her emotional state to the reader.
4. Avoiding Common Pitfalls:
- Telling Instead of Showing: Rather than stating emotions directly, use sensory details and specific actions to convey feelings. For example, instead of saying a character is angry, describe their tightened jaw, clenched fists, and the heat rising to their face.
- Clichéd Emotions: Avoid overused expressions like “a single tear” or “knees knocking.” Instead, describe unique physical and emotional responses that are specific to the character and the situation. This helps in creating a more nuanced and believable portrayal of emotions.
- Melodrama: Ensure emotions progress realistically and avoid exaggerated expressions that feel unnatural. Emotional arcs should follow a believable path, reflecting how emotions develop and change in real life.
Example: A character gradually moving from shock to grief over the course of a conversation, rather than an immediate and intense reaction, maintains believability. This gradual progression allows readers to follow the character’s emotional journey more naturally.
5. Utilizing Backstory Effectively: Backstory can build reader empathy but should be used sparingly. Reveal only essential details that enhance understanding of the character’s current behavior without overwhelming the narrative. Well-placed backstory elements can provide context for a character’s actions and emotions, making them more relatable and three-dimensional.
Example: In “Jaws,” Quint’s story about the sinking of the Indianapolis provides crucial context for his hardened demeanor, without delving into every detail of his past. This single, impactful story is enough to make his behavior understandable and evoke empathy from the audience.
By integrating these techniques, writers can craft dialogue that feels authentic and emotionally resonant, keeping readers engaged through realistic and layered character interactions. This approach not only enhances the believability of the characters but also adds depth to the narrative, making the story more compelling and relatable.