DIALOGUE IN CHAPTER BOOKS
In chapter books, authors use a combination of dialogue and
description to hook the reader and move the story forward. When writing
dialogue in chapter books, several factors must be taken into consideration,
including the style of language used, the goal of the writer to show action,
humor and heart, and the objective of portraying readable dialogue.
When crafting dialogue in chapter books, the age of the
reader, usually between four to nine, is important. The language should be
easily understood although there can be challenging words as well. And the
sentence structure should be relatively uncomplicated for this age group. The
speech patterns of the characters should give the reader a clue about the
characters’ personalities and goals. And the dialogue can show action in the
story through the indication of body language and movement. Also, humor and
heart can shine through solid dialogue, especially when the writer includes
specific and interesting details.
To draft dialogue accurately, try some of the following
tips. Place yourself in situations where you can observe children. Listen to
your own children or grandchildren, or the kids of friends. Volunteer at a
local school, library, or bookstore. Observe children on the playground or in
restaurants. Notice what they are saying to each other and to those around them
and take notes. Those snippets of conversations could fit right in to your next
chapter book manuscript. Also, read current chapter books and consider how
authors write the dialogue in their books. You can read the dialogue aloud to
hear how it sounds and what the words convey. Finally, think like a child.
Write the dialogue as a child would speak, not how an adult would converse. Keep
the dialogue authentic, interesting, and easy to understand.
Here are three examples of snappy dialogue in recent chapter
books:
Maddy McGuire, CEO: Pet Camp, By Emma Bland Smith, Illustrated
by Lissie Marlin (ABDO Publishing, 2018)(this dialogue sets up the pet camp
plot. Vivid details and movement help draw the reader in and make the idea
believable).
“We can run
a summer camp!”
“You can’t
run a camp. You’re not a grown-up.”
“I could do
it! Mom would help me.”
At least Maddy hoped she would.
“Actually,
that’s a pretty good idea,” said Drew. “School is almost over, so the timing is
right. It could have a theme. Like coding!” Drew had been to a coding camp last
summer.
Maddy
jumped up. “No, not coding. It has to be something I’m really into.”
“Okay, then
what?” asked Drew.
She looked
at her red horse notebook. She jingled the animal charms on her bracelet. She
glanced at the stuffie basket. It overflowed with kittens, puppies, and
rabbits.
“Pet camp!”
she shouted.
Warren & Dragon: 100 Friends, by Ariel Bernstein,
Illustrated by Mike Malbrough (Puffin Books, 2018)(the personality of Dragon
already shines, as he eats his marshmallow and huffs and puffs. Also, the heart
of the story about friendship and the sibling relationship is evident even in
this brief dialogue).
“I don’t
mind moving,” I say. And it’s true. I won’t have to listen to our neighbor Ms.
Reilly call me “Warri-Boo” anymore.
“That’s
because you don’t have any friends.” Ellie says.
“That’s not
true!” I do not say it might be true. “Dragon is my friend.”
“Dragon
isn’t real.”
“I am so
offended,” Dragon says in between bites of marshmallow.
Ellie
shakes her head. She looks a lot like Mom when she does that.
“You
shouldn’t offend Dragon. He gets scary when he’s offended.”
Dragon
huffs and puffs as best he can.
Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Queen, by Debbi Michiko Florence, pictures
by Elizabet Vukovic (Farrar Straus Giroux Book for Young Readers, 2017) (this
dialogue is written using age-appropriate language and vivid details, and the
emotion of the younger sister will resonate with the reader).
“I’m going
to help make mochi,” I said to Sophie.
She kept
picking at her orange nails. “You’re too little. You’ll only get in the way.”
“I’m big
enough.” Yesterday I noticed I came up to Sophie’s chin. During the summer I
came up to her shoulder. I was growing!
“Just wait
your turn,” she said.
This year,
Sophie would sit at the table in the backyard with Mom and all the other women.
She would probably get to sit right next to Obaachan, our grandma who came from
Japan every year for the holidays.
“Stop
pouting and finish cleaning,” Sophie said. “You’ll get your turn at mochi-tsuki
when you’re ten.”
I wished
there was something I could do before her. Something she could never do.
* * *
Enjoy writing dialogue during ChaBooChaLite 2018! Happy
creating, and I look forward to reading the dialogue in your future chapter
books!
Melissa
Stoller is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe
Collection - Book One: Return to Coney Island and Book Two: The
Liberty Bell Train Ride (Clear Fork Publishing, 2017 and 2019); and the
picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush and Ready, Set,
GOrilla! (Clear Fork, Fall 2018). She is also the co-author of The
Parent-Child Book Club: Connecting With Your Kids Through Reading
(HorizonLine Publishing, 2009). Melissa is a Regional Ambassador for The
Chapter Book Challenge, an Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, an Admin
for The Debut Picture Book Study Group, and a volunteer with the Society of
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators/MetroNY. Melissa has worked as a
lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer and editor, and early
childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her husband, three
daughters, and one puppy. When not writing or reading, Melissa can be found
exploring NYC with family and friends, traveling, and adding treasures to her
collections.
CONNECT:
http://www.pinterest.com/melissastoller
*****
Give-away
Today's prize is a copy of Write To Be Heard - Write Like You Talk: Help With Voice, Character, Dialogue... and more by Aaron D. Gansky. If you are a signed up member of ChaBooCha Lite, the only thing you need to do to be entered to win this prize is comment on this blog post. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on September 30th, 2018.
Great tips :) Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteInformative article, thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, thanks
ReplyDeleteWhat's too much dialogue? Is there a ratio of dialogue to non-dialogue you target in your chapter books?
ReplyDelete