As every writer of fiction knows, dialogue is an essential component of a successful story. Besides adding substance to the plot, dialogue gives flesh, blood, personality, and purpose to the characters. In nonfiction, a reader more often sees single statements from individuals who offer expert insights on a topic or who have experienced something that brings credibility to the author’s ideas or arguments. Still, some nonfiction writers use dialogue for these same purposes. (For some good examples of dialogue in a work of nonfiction, read Steve Jobs: A Biography by Walter Isaacson.)
Whether an author is writing fiction or nonfiction, the issue of paragraphing arises. According to Gloria Kempton writing in Dialogue (Writer’s Digest Books, 2004), there is just one basic “rule” for paragraphing, specifically: “Every character gets his own paragraph. This goes for action, narrative, a character’s inner musings or dialogue.”
Examining this rule more closely, we can see that dialogue might stand by itself or be supplemented by narration that precedes or follows. Here are examples of each from my recently published YA novel, The Secrets We Carry: Journal of a Girl in Trouble.
(1) “How’d your appointment go, Sir Isaac?”
“Turns out I’ve got vibratory urticaria,” Herbie replied.
“What?”
“I’m allergic to vibrations.”
(2) Collin scowled before complying. “Don’t call them suspects. They’re victims, or at least one of them is.”
Herbie gave an exaggerated bow. “Please accept my deepest apologies for this unforgiveable slip of the tongue.”
(3) “He’s a natural,” gushed Winifred, her eyes glowing.
“Yeah, but a natural what?” said Collin. As far as he knew, hard dancing wouldn’t trigger any of Herbie’s allergies. but what about asthma?
In my previous blog, I noted occasions when a writer should end one paragraph and start a new one. This raises an interesting question: Are there occasions when a character’s dialogue can be broken down into two or more consecutive paragraphs? The answer is yes. If a character, when speaking, presents two or more separate ideas or blocks of information, or contrasts two or more ideas or arguments, his or her dialogue may be divided into two or more consecutive paragraphs. Consider the following example:
James looked over his audience, straightened his tie, and then launched into his speech.
“The voters are being duped by false promises that could not be fulfilled even if the government had the necessary resources, which it does not. Our treasury is already running a huge deficit, and quick-fixes will likely do more harm than good. Only by economizing and raising certain taxes will that deficit come down.
“But let’s turn our attention to my proposals. There will be a tax increase, but only for the higher income brackets. Price controls will be implemented but only on essential goods, such as food. Medical insurance will be available to everyone but will not be compulsory.
“Now, let’s consider how our current government approaches these issues. Not only do they oppose any tax increase, they want tax breaks for the wealthy. They oppose any kind of price control and would not guarantee medical insurance to anyone.”
Notice that while each paragraph of the dialogue starts with quotation marks, close quotation marks don’t appear until the dialogue concludes in the third paragraph.
In closing, I might note that I had to create the previous sample of dialogue because I couldn’t find any passages where a character’s dialogue extends to two or more consecutive paragraphs. Authors seldom write dialogue this way, and that, of course, is their prerogative, as long as they understand the guidelines for building sound paragraphs. As theologian John Piper said, “Books don’t change people; paragraphs do, sometimes even sentences.”