What makes you stick with a story after the first 3–5 chapters?
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Tsuru
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Things is, people are kinda tired of the "exagerated/acting" vibes that anime/jp industry got.
And that is why Kazuma of Konosuba (anticliche)(like Deadpool) is liked.
Because there is this smoothless and natural vibes to it.
Also not sure if you know, but humans, when act, voluntarily or involuntarily, "fake" it. Some more obvious than others. (goal of acting being to reduce that)
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What you should do, isnt to think "this character will say that or this bc plot need it"
but more like "what will this character say in this situation OR what would I(the author) say if i was in his-her shoes"
Kinda like the seiyuu of kazuma ad-libed : yes yes kazuma-desu (the joke when others call kazuma ! kazuma!)(it wasnt in script at all but purely inserted by the voice actor)
So or you insert yourself in the character to think what they would say so it feels natural
or you ask your friend to do it for you.
Basically its like the self-insert method of acting. But likewise, be cautious of not being able to "get out".
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Example :
What people want or crave, is the NORMAL BRAIN person like in this video:
NOT the retarded characters just here for the "plot".
Basically natural = normality.
And that is why Kazuma of Konosuba (anticliche)(like Deadpool) is liked.
Because there is this smoothless and natural vibes to it.
Also not sure if you know, but humans, when act, voluntarily or involuntarily, "fake" it. Some more obvious than others. (goal of acting being to reduce that)
----------------
What you should do, isnt to think "this character will say that or this bc plot need it"
but more like "what will this character say in this situation OR what would I(the author) say if i was in his-her shoes"
Kinda like the seiyuu of kazuma ad-libed : yes yes kazuma-desu (the joke when others call kazuma ! kazuma!)(it wasnt in script at all but purely inserted by the voice actor)
So or you insert yourself in the character to think what they would say so it feels natural
or you ask your friend to do it for you.
Basically its like the self-insert method of acting. But likewise, be cautious of not being able to "get out".
-------------------------
Example :
What people want or crave, is the NORMAL BRAIN person like in this video:
Basically natural = normality.
Arakun10809
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I don't think as I write dialogue, mainly because if I think too much, it doesn't sound natural. Much like a normal conversation, you don't think too much, unless something puzzling comes up. You only slow down there. Dialogue is kind of like a game of table tennis you want to keep hitting the ball back to the other end, and so on. If you think too much, you'll miss the ball, or it will fly over the other player. In some cases, it may accidentally hit the other player, which is where you realize you swung a bit much (or way too much). And these accidents happen, and then you kind of wing it from there and learn from your mistakes. Same thing with making characters talk to each other: a game of back and forth that will have hiccups (or may result in something explosive).
Wait, this is really good. Integrating this organically into plot-heavy scenes might be hard, but for anything in-between it definitely makes the characters feel more nuanced. Trying to balance real-feeling interactions with 'i need this to be brought up in conversation for x effect' is something a lot of new authors like me struggle with. especially when you have a story ready and a one minded approach to it.
also, love konosuba!
Eldoria
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Tricks for Building the Living Dialogue
The first trick is to imagine the conversation as real dialogue, put yourself in the character's shoes, empathize with your character. What would you say in that situation?
The second trick, is to use body language to deepen the meaning of the conversation. In the real world, almost every conversation is usually accompanied by body language, even if it's just a nod or a smile.
The third trick, use subtext: say less, give more meaning. For example, if you disagree with the opponent's dialogue, instead of arguing with him for three giant paragraphs, you can respond "up to you" in a high tone while looking away (meaning you are tired of arguing and disagreeing with the opponent's comment).
The fourth trick, is to use the atmosphere as an extension of subtle tension in the dialogue. For example, if you are interrogating a criminal, use a dim room, a square table, two chairs facing each other, handcuffs, a black-covered book, a black pen, to build subtle tension during the conversation.
The fifth trick, is using the character's unique voice to identify who is speaking.
The sixth trick, uses subtle emotions to define the character's emotions and avoid raw emotions (emotions that are directly given by the narrator, such as happy, sad, etc). You can use dialogue, action, body language, psychological reactions, and atmosphere to build subtle emotions in your characters in the conversation.
A final (optional) trick: reduce dialogue tags only where possible to minimize distractions outside the dialogue.
Good luck!
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CharlesEBrown
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Misleading thread title but...
To answer the question - consume a variety of media and not just one type. See what works and what doesn't, and try to balance.
I have some scenes with a lot of light banter - characters who know each other well tossing jibes back and forth for example. The models I try to follow for this are screenwriters like Amy Paladino (The Gilmore Girls) and David Mamet (tons of plays and several movies... most with pretty raw language). Writers who excel at rapid-fire, staccato delivery of lines.
I have some scenes which are straight up inspired by the comic books of the silver and bronze age (late fifties through mid-eighties - though some, like the various Spider-Man titles, or anything written by the late Peter A. David, continued this well into the modern age ... and the Marvel Cinematic Universe calls back to this era quite well), with characters taunting each other while fighting or engaging in strenuous action (action films of the 80s also did this quite well, come to think of it, with two of the best examples being The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension and Big Trouble in Little China).
Other times I use the dialogue to provide exposition and explain world-building elements. Sometimes I borrow from System stories for this (e.g. My Vampire System, Solo Leveling, even J.A.R.V.I.S. in the Iron Man movies also filled this role before he became The Vision), sometimes from "school" stories (Dumbledore served this purpose a lot in the Harry Potter books, as do Gandalf and Aslan).
Ararara
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If we liked the first several chapters, we'll continue reading as long as progress is steadily being made, and the story is "interesting" (whatever that might mean), and we like the characters.
There's hundreds of possible reasons for dropping a story. Even a tiny annoyance can be enough, like too many non-MC POV chapters, or flashbacks, or a chapter in which nothing happens.
There's hundreds of possible reasons for dropping a story. Even a tiny annoyance can be enough, like too many non-MC POV chapters, or flashbacks, or a chapter in which nothing happens.
TinaMigarlo
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years ago, the first time I tried writing a novel. One of my first things I noticed after I got over the rush of doing something big... was after a break I came back and decided it had problems. One of my main problems, was the MC seemed okay to me, but the supporting characters were tending to be "off". You can be told "know those characters inside and out! They should be very real to you!", but I think this is one of those things that's easier said than done.
dialogue from the supporting characters was definitely a big thing.
Example: cops bantering on a murder scene. Its in every investigation book, its in every investigation movie. Its compulsory. Why was MY "two cops bantering" before the detective got there so... cliche and forced.
A long time later, I was reading a paperback. In the story, a female entertainment lawyer had written a sort of "Tom Clancy" novel and decided a male author pen name was the way to go. She contracted a client, to play this part. As he had written his own book that was good but just shy of great, she felt he looked and more importantly could talk like an author, and do it.
In the course of her "talking" to him, about her own novel which was getting offers and interest from all sides... she gave some general advice. One of which, I never forgot. It changed my (writing) life. Here, I'll share it with you:
how did you do your character development? Did you do the circle diagrams thing, or did you do the bio sheet way. Then she shared how SHE did it. "Use character models". Her way, was to pick out someone in real life, to represent the character in the story. Now you have a real person, to describe. How they talk. How they walk. The little tics and things they do, or don;t do. How they dress. How they carry themselves You know them good enough that you can sort of guess how they respond to things.
it made perfect sense to me. All the TRADITIONAL "how to create a character" methods, were simply that. I was creating a character out of thin air. I do this? Its a real live person. With flaws and short comings. With strengths and weaknesses. You never tell anyone WHO the character model used really was. And just like a light switch got flicked on, I was at my truck stop. This one waitress. I just SAW her, as the receptionist side character. I've known her for several years from there. Now? My receptionist was "alive". That side character seemed very real, because she kind of was a real life person. Things I knew or could infer about the real life character model? Translated directly into/onto the receptionist novel character.
My dialogue, remember. It instantly changed. Why, I can just close my eyes and "hear" her talking, or imagine how she would react.
refined: you can use ONE person, for the physical model. And another for everything else about them.
example: Maybe Rutger Hauer (RIP, R.H.) is the MC's right hand man. For looks.
And, maybe your brother is how he talks and reacts and thinks.
this process links you in for strengths AND the important shortcomings and weaknesses needed to make a character real.
I started doing this for important characters, and then started doing it for *all* characters.
The results were instantaneous.
Hey. If I feel a few tidbits I pick uop here and there, helped me.
This, is my best chance to share back.
I've never heard this advice, from any other source.
All I see are the same old "circle diagrams" and "bio"/"backstory" techniques.
Try this on a new story, your next one?
watch all your characters suddenly come alive.
hear dialogue now colored in and it seems more realistic.
remember the "two cops bantering on scene" waiting on the main detective?
they were "character modeled" on two old farts at the truck stop, that always gab and pick at each other.
BANG! they came alive, in their bit roles.
My main characters? No more Mary Sue Gary Stu syndrome.
now when I plan a book, I'm looking around me, finding my character models.
when you get the right one, you can just tell.