Marsha’s 5 word rule for dialogue

As a writer, I have found that one of the best ways of getting good feedback on works-in-progress is to join a critique group. I run a free  online crit group here. The group I run is hidden from public view and to get in, one must ask for permission.

In our online crit group, we all give and get feedback on our works-in-progress. I find that doing crits teaches the critter as much as the crittee.

One of the things that I have noticed after over a decade of critting and being critted is that dialogue is often used as a crutch in early drafts. I have come up with a self-editing technique that I like to call Marsha’s 5 word rule for dialogue. Here goes:

 Anytime a character says more than five words at a time, look carefully at what you’re trying to accomplish with the dialogue. Often, you’re using dialogue as:

— an information dump
— backstory
— scene avoidance
— saying something instead of showing it
— saying something you’ve already just shown

Long dialogue always slows the story down. Pare whenever possible and when necessary replace with a scene. Alternately, pare out that dialogue altogether and save that information for later on in the story. Doing so can add suspense.

Author: Marsha

I write historical fiction, mostly from the perspective of young people who are thrust in the midst of war. View all posts by Marsha