Bad Dialogue vs Good Dialogue (Writing Advice)

Writer Brandon McNulty

19 Aug 202115:50

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this insightful video, writer Brandon McNulty explores the nuances of good and bad dialogue in storytelling. He identifies three key aspects of effective dialogue: natural sound, conflict, and subtext. McNulty contrasts this with five types of poor dialogue, including 'on the nose', melodrama, exposition, forced poetry, and wooden speech, using examples from various media to illustrate his points. His analysis aims to help writers avoid clichés and create more engaging, authentic conversations in their work.

Takeaways

📚 Studying both good and bad dialogue is essential for understanding effective communication in writing.
🗣️ Good dialogue should sound natural, varying from character to character and fitting the story's world.
🛡️ Effective dialogue often involves conflict, with characters attacking or defending ideas or information.
🎭 Good dialogue includes subtext, where the spoken words have underlying emotions or higher stakes.
🚫 Avoid 'on the nose' dialogue, which lacks subtlety and directly states thoughts and emotions without depth.
🔥 Watch out for melodrama, where emotions are over the top and not earned, making dialogue feel forced and unrealistic.
❌ Refrain from using 'as you know, Bob' exchanges, which are lazy attempts at exposition and can disrupt the narrative flow.
🌹 Be cautious with 'forced poetry', where characters speak in an unnaturally flowery manner, especially if it's out of character.
🪵 Avoid 'wooden dialogue', which is too formal or stilted, detracting from the authenticity of the characters.
🔄 Rewrite wooden or forced dialogue to make it more natural and engaging, maintaining the characters' authenticity.
💬 Remember that dialogue should always serve a purpose, revealing character, advancing the plot, or adding depth to the story.

Q & A

What are the three things that define good dialogue according to Brandon McNulty?
-Good dialogue sounds natural, attacks or defends, and expresses unspoken meaning or subtext.
Why is it important for dialogue to sound natural?
-Natural-sounding dialogue ensures that the characters' speech is believable and fits their personality and the world they inhabit, making the story more immersive for the audience.
How does good dialogue involve conflict?
-Good dialogue involves conflict by having characters try to obtain information, push a worldview, or achieve a goal through their exchanges, creating tension and interest.
What is subtext in dialogue, and why is it important?
-Subtext is the underlying meaning or emotions beneath the spoken words. It's important because it adds depth to the conversation, revealing more about the characters' true feelings and intentions.
What is 'on the nose' dialogue and why should it be avoided?
-'On the nose' dialogue is when characters state the obvious, their thoughts, or emotions without any subtlety or subtext. It should be avoided because it feels unnatural and can be dull.
Can you provide an example of 'on the nose' dialogue from a well-known movie?
-Yes, an example of 'on the nose' dialogue is from 'Attack of the Clones' where Anakin expresses his unfiltered emotions to Padme by saying, 'I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me.'
What is melodrama in dialogue and how can it be recognized?
-Melodrama in dialogue is over-the-top emotion that isn't earned by the story or characters. It can be recognized by excessive yelling, exaggerated expressions, and a lack of genuine emotional buildup.
Provide an example of melodramatic dialogue and a better alternative.
-An example of melodramatic dialogue is from 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night' where Richter and Dracula exchange exaggerated lines. A better alternative is the restrained, emotion-filled dialogue between Alucard and Dracula in the 'Castlevania' Netflix series.
What is the 'as you know Bob' exchange and why is it problematic?
-The 'as you know Bob' exchange is when characters discuss things they already know purely to inform the audience. It's problematic because it feels unnatural and is a lazy way to convey information.
What is forced poetry in dialogue and why should it be avoided?
-Forced poetry is when characters who usually speak normally suddenly use flowery, unnatural language. It should be avoided because it breaks the consistency of the character's voice and can feel jarring to the audience.
What is an example of wooden dialogue, and how can it be improved?
-An example of wooden dialogue is from the original 'Resident Evil' game where characters speak in a stilted, unnatural manner. It can be improved by making the dialogue more natural and fitting the characters' personalities and situations.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Good vs. Bad Dialogue

Brandon McNulty introduces the topic of learning about dialogue by studying both good and bad examples. He emphasizes the value of understanding mistakes in bad dialogue and outlines the plan for the video, which includes explaining and providing examples of both good and bad dialogue.

05:00

🔍 What Makes Good Dialogue Good

McNulty discusses the characteristics of good dialogue, highlighting three key aspects: sounding natural, involving conflict (attacking or defending), and expressing unspoken meaning or subtext. He provides examples to illustrate these points, explaining how dialogue should match the character and setting, involve a struggle for information, and contain underlying emotions.

10:04

⚠️ Identifying Bad Dialogue

McNulty introduces five types of bad dialogue: on-the-nose dialogue, melodrama, exposition, forced poetry, and wooden dialogue. He explains each type, provides examples from various media (e.g., 'Attack of the Clones', 'Castlevania', 'Resident Evil'), and contrasts them with better examples to show how dialogue can be improved.

15:06

👎 On-the-Nose Dialogue

An example from 'Attack of the Clones' is used to illustrate on-the-nose dialogue, where characters state exactly what they feel without subtext. This type of dialogue is contrasted with a scene from 'Back to the Future', where characters' emotions are conveyed through subtext and natural conversation.

🎭 Melodrama

McNulty describes melodrama as exaggerated emotion that is not earned, often seen in over-the-top exchanges. He uses examples from 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night' and compares it with the more restrained and emotionally charged dialogue from the 'Castlevania' Netflix series.

📜 Exposition in Dialogue

Exposition involves characters discussing known information for the audience's benefit. McNulty criticizes this approach with an example from 'The Lord of the Rings' and contrasts it with a more natural exposition in 'John Wick', where the information is revealed through a character learning something new.

🖋️ Forced Poetry

Forced poetry occurs when characters suddenly start speaking in a flowery or unnatural manner. McNulty highlights Anakin Skywalker's 'I hate sand' speech from 'Star Wars' and compares it with a more grounded poetic moment from 'Game of Thrones' that fits the character's personality.

🪵 Wooden Dialogue

Wooden dialogue is overly formal and unnatural. McNulty uses the original 'Resident Evil' game as an example, demonstrating how stilted dialogue can ruin immersion. He rewrites the dialogue to show how a more natural conversation would improve the scene.

❓ Question of the Day and Closing

McNulty concludes the video by inviting viewers to share their favorite bad dialogue lines in the comments. He thanks viewers for watching, encourages them to support his channel, and reminds them to keep writing.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Dialogue

Dialogue refers to the conversational exchange between characters in a written work, such as a script, novel, or play. In the context of the video, dialogue is the central theme, with the speaker discussing what makes dialogue effective or ineffective in storytelling. The script provides examples from various movies and games to illustrate good and bad dialogue.

💡Natural

Natural dialogue is conversation that sounds authentic and true to the character's voice and personality. It is a key element of good dialogue as explained in the video. For instance, the speaker mentions that dialogue should sound natural for each character, regardless of the story world they inhabit.

💡Conflict

Conflict in dialogue is the tension or struggle between characters, often involving one character trying to learn something another wants to keep hidden or differing worldviews. The video emphasizes that good dialogue should involve conflict, as it drives the narrative and character development.

💡Subtext

Subtext refers to the underlying meaning or emotions that are not explicitly stated in the dialogue but are implied or suggested. The script explains that good dialogue should express unspoken meaning, giving the example of a married couple arguing about a trivial matter that actually masks a deeper issue in their relationship.

💡On the Nose

On the nose dialogue is when characters state their thoughts and emotions too directly, without subtlety or subtext. The video criticizes this type of dialogue, using an example from 'Attack of the Clones' where Anakin explicitly states his feelings, which comes off as clichéd and lacking depth.

💡Melodrama

Melodrama is characterized by exaggerated, over-the-top emotions that haven't been properly established or 'earned' in the narrative. The video script uses an example from 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night' to illustrate how dialogue that ends with exclamation points and excessive shouting can come off as melodramatic and unconvincing.

💡Exposition

Exposition is the act of presenting information or background details about a story. The video warns against using 'as you know, Bob' exchanges, where characters discuss information they already know, which is a lazy way to inform the audience and can feel unnatural.

💡Forced Poetry

Forced poetry occurs when characters, who normally speak in a plain or everyday manner, suddenly start using flowery or overly poetic language, which can feel unnatural and out of character. An example from 'Star Wars' is given in the script, where Anakin's speech about sand is criticized for being too poetic and not fitting his character.

💡Wooden Dialogue

Wooden dialogue refers to speech that is overly formal, stiff, and unnatural. In the script, the video uses dialogue from 'Resident Evil' as an example of wooden dialogue, where characters use repetitive and awkward language that doesn't fit the context of a zombie apocalypse.

💡Attack and Defend

Attack and defend is a concept in dialogue where characters are actively trying to achieve something through their conversation, often by seeking information or pushing an agenda. The video script explains that good dialogue should involve this dynamic, as it creates a sense of purpose and engagement for the characters.

Highlights

The best way to learn about dialogue is by studying both good and bad examples.

Good dialogue should sound natural, varying from character to character.

Good dialogue involves conflict, with characters trying to learn or defend information.

Good dialogue expresses unspoken meaning or subtext, hinting at emotions beneath the surface.

Bad dialogue types include on-the-nose, melodrama, exposition, forced poetry, and wooden dialogue.

On-the-nose dialogue lacks subtlety and states thoughts and emotions too directly.

Melodrama features over-the-top emotions that haven't been earned by the story.

Exposition involves characters discussing things they already know, which can feel forced.

Forced poetry occurs when characters speak in an unnaturally flowery manner.

Wooden dialogue is too formal and stilted, lacking natural speech patterns.

An example of on-the-nose dialogue is from 'Attack of the Clones' where Anakin expresses his feelings bluntly.

A better example of dialogue is from 'Back to the Future', where subtext conveys more than the spoken words.

Melodrama can be seen in 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night', with its over-the-top prologue.

The Netflix series 'Castlevania' provides a more measured and effective confrontation dialogue.

The 'As You Know, Bob' exchange is a lazy form of exposition that should be avoided.

In 'John Wick', exposition is handled creatively, revealing character backstory without feeling forced.

An example of forced poetry is Anakin's 'I hate sand' speech from 'Star Wars', which is overly flowery.

The dialogue of the Hound in 'Game of Thrones' provides a poetic moment that fits the character.

Wooden dialogue from 'Resident Evil' is humorously formal and unrealistic.

A rewrite of the 'Resident Evil' dialogue makes it more natural and engaging.

Transcripts

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