As a creative writer, I often struggle to make character dialogue read authentically. That's often because the best parts of human speech are rarely pre-planned, and some of the folksier parts of speech aren't calculated, but spontaneous.
As a journalist, I've learned that folksier tidbits of speech make everything more digestible, and add character in an otherwise dry piece.
I still remember a quote from a man I interviewed about a new safety lab, and he said that his goal was to make sure his students "wore a lot of different hats," and things like that often stick with you, as you hope words on a page will.
I challenge you to interview someone you don't know, and integrate their speech into a character you've been working on. It doesn't have to be someone you don't know if you are horribly shy, but the point of the exercise is to expand your pool of phrases and sentences as they relate to everyday speech.
Good luck, and happy writing!
(Below is a video of an interview I did with 22 Jump Street's Jimmy Tatro, who was one of the most awkward people I interviewed in my whole life.)
Leave a comment about what you think Tatro's speech and word choice affects your perception of his character.
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