What your characters say in fiction drives your story, but you have two ways to do it. You can use dialogue or reported speech.
Active dialogue is the most common. “You never listen to me!” she shouted.
However, you can also use reported speech to summarize a character’s words quickly. She told him he had never listened to her.
Both ways are useful. However, deciding when to use either one needs careful consideration.
Understanding dialogue and reported speech
Active dialogue represents the direct speech of your characters. You use the words they say and enclose them in quotation marks.
For example: “I can’t believe you are going to do this,” he said.
Dialogue delivers instant involvement and brings life to your story by letting readers feel like they are listening to the conversation.
It’s an easy and powerful way to let readers discover personalities, emotions, and relationships between your characters.
The other option is to use reported or indirect speech, summarizing what characters say without directly quoting them.
For example, He said he couldn’t believe she would do it.
It creates a sense of distance, allowing you to focus on the narrative rather than the character’s exact words.
You might use reported speech when the details of a dialogue are less important than the overall message or when you want to move quickly through a scene.
The main difference lies in how much focus and detail you want to give to what was said. Dialogue spotlights the conversation, while reported speech keeps the story moving by providing a quick summary.
Balancing both forms in fiction writing
Getting the balance right between active dialogue and reported speech is a key element in crafting an engaging narrative and story.
Each has its uses, but both create variety and keep your storytelling moving.
Dialogue works best when you want readers to feel like they’re right there in the moment, listening to every word of your characters and sensing the emotions.
However, relying too much on dialogue can slow down the pacing, especially in scenes where long conversations add little value to the plot. This is when reported speech becomes useful.
It allows you to summarize interactions, condense time, and quickly move through less critical moments of your story without sacrificing clarity.
For instance, you might use dialogue to show a quick, heated argument, then switch to reported speech to describe the aftermath.
“I’ve had it with your excuses!” he said, barging out of the room. However, he told a friend later that the argument had been brewing for weeks.
The key to balancing both forms lies in understanding the needs of each scene.
High-powered emotional moments in a novel typically require dialogue to maximize impact. However, reported speech is often more than enough for your less important or transitional scenes.
When you learn to use both forms, you can control the rhythm of your story, which can help keep readers engaged.
Another factor to consider is perspective. Reported speech can help you reflect a character’s emotion, bias, or interpretation, adding extra depth to your character.
For example, “He said he didn’t care, but I knew he was lying.” combines active dialogue with a character’s perception to add the narrator’s insight.
Dialogue, on the other hand, lets readers form their impressions directly from the words spoken.
To achieve a balance, ask yourself what the scene needs to accomplish. Are you building tension, revealing a character, or moving the plot forward?
Combining both forms of speech
An often overlooked aspect is including reported speech within your active dialogue.
It allows you to investigate what your characters think about what other characters say.
Here’s a quick example you can use to try this technique.
“He told me he was changing his ways and would listen more to those around him.”
*Yes, I heard him say that, too, but I doubt he will change. He’s too full of himself.”
Using reported speech within direct dialogue allows you to dig deeper into what your characters believe or not about your other characters.
It’s a handy tool to use to help you show your story rather than telling it in your narrative.
Common mistakes to avoid
One common mistake for new writers is using too much dialogue, which can lead to excessive wordiness or unnecessary scenes.
I know because I made this mistake when I started writing fiction.
But quite soon, I realized that interactions between characters don’t need to be eked out with lengthy, short back-and-forth dialogue exchanges.
While dialogue is essential for character development, using too much of it can slow the pacing and make it feel cluttered.
Always ask yourself: Does this conversation advance the plot or reveal something crucial about the characters?
On the other hand, over-relying on reported speech can create a sense of emotional distance or monotony.
Readers may feel detached from the characters if you summarize too many conversations instead of giving them active dialogue.
It can make your story feel less interesting like you’re telling rather than showing it.
Summary
Knowing when to use dialogue or reported speech in fiction is essential in managing pacing, expressing emotion, and improving reader engagement.
Dialogue brings immediacy and character depth, while reported speech helps summarize and move the story along efficiently.
Balancing both forms allows for variety, creating a flow that improves your narrative.
The most common mistake to avoid is overusing either form, which can lead to cluttered or detached writing.
By understanding when, why, and how to combine dialogue and reported speech, you can craft more interesting, well-paced scenes that will keep your readers’ attention from beginning to end.
Related Reading: How To Check Dialogue Writing Consistency In A Book
