Writing Pet Peeve
Uncharacteristic Dialogue

Is hard to master the art of writing dialogue. I know I still have a long way to improve dialogue in my own writing. However, as a reader, it really annoys me when I read dialogue that is not consistent with the character who is speaking. I’ve read several stories where a child was speaking but he/she sounded too adult. I’ve also read many stories where characters were supposedly peasants or otherwise uneducated and then out of nowhere they use big words. Likely, these characters wouldn’t even know what these words meant. Recently, my editor called me out on this. I’ve written a story that involves the Underground Railroad. I had an enslaved little girl use the word abolitionist. Oops.
I can understand how some of this uncharacteristic dialogue can slip through the editing process. Technically, there is nothing wrong with the dialogue. The words are used correctly in the sentence. It is just that the character speaking would not have said it.
Another form of uncharacteristic dialogue, in my opinion, is a poorly written dialect. If you are going to write with a dialect be sure to research it thoroughly. I much prefer reading no dialect than poorly written dialect. As an historical fiction author, when I’m reading a western and the cowboys sound like they’re talking like stereotypical cartoon characters I start laughing. The next thing I do? I stop reading the book. Also related to historical fiction are characters who use modern words. When I read a term not appropriate to the time period I want to scream at the book. It doesn’t take long to research word etymology.
The easiest way I’ve found to self-correct uncharacteristic dialogue is to actually read your work aloud. It is easier to hear the issue than it is when you are reading it. Doing extensive character development and having those profiles next to when you write can help as well. How much education has your character had? Where were they born? Can they speak in more than one language?
Perhaps this is a small issue that you haven’t considered in your writing before. Take a minute to examine your dialogue and figure out how to make it more in character. Dialogue is a great way to show a character’s personality.
