17
Got told my dialogue sounded like a robot reading a script, changed everything
A beta reader said "nobody talks like this" about my first draft's conversations. I started reading them out loud and realized she was right - has anyone else had to completely rework their character voices after one piece of feedback?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
hayden1442mo ago
Oh man, I actually see it a bit differently though. Reading out loud is great for catching clunky lines, but some of the best dialogue I've read breaks the rules of "real" conversation on purpose (you know, rhythm and tone matter more than literal accuracy). A robot reading a script just means you need to tighten the flow and trim the fat, not scrap everything and start from zero.
5
keithbutler2mo ago
Isn't that the same with a lot of things we get too technical about these days? People obsess over "rules" for writing or speaking, but the real test is just whether it sounds right and feels natural to you. Sometimes you gotta trust your ear over a textbook.
3
sam_thomas2mo ago
Yeah that whole "robot reading" bit got me thinking. I mean, a real robot reading dialogue would just be monotone anyway so what's the point. But more importantly, people act like reading out loud is some magic fix. It's not. Some of my favorite lines from like The Wire or Mad Men read weird out loud because the actors bring the cadence. You gotta trust the performance, not just the page.
1