Aspie authors writing social interaction

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As an aspie writer, I've definitely had reviewers complain about my dialogue, but they're almost never helpful as they rarely bother to explain exactly what's wrong with it beyond "real people don't talk like that". Frankly, it isn't my top priority anyway. It's not like anyone can accurately estimate how people would really talk in a given situation (especially since I rarely write familiar modern-day settings anyway).

Personally I could give a rat's ass about writing mundane-people speak. I want my characters to be awesome....

I review stories of wannabe NT authors often, and "real people don't talk like that" applies to 99% of their work. Just because people can talk doesn't mean they can write about it, believe me. Dialogue is just hard, much harder than most people expect. If only because dialogue that sounds right in a book isn't, in fact, the same thing as dialogue that sounds right in real life.

The best way I know to overcome this is to find out in other books what you feel is good dialogue, then try to find out why it's good. Key questions are:
- How does the personality of the characters show up in the dialogue? Ist it consistent throughout the story?
- Do they exchange information that is natural for them to exchange at that point, or are you forcing the characters to say something they both know just so the reader may learn about it? (happens more often than you'd think even in published books)
- What level of language do they use? Ist it consistent with their background and the context of the dialogue?
- etc.
Don't let the critics let you believe that it's beyond your reach. It's really not. I spend my time explaining to NTs that they need to be more analytical about their writing in order to make it consistently better. Being analytical about things is something aspies are better at than NT.

And they should be. Honestly, everyone would fall asleep anyway if they started talking about the weather the way my dear co-workers do. And the most fascinating characters in litterature are all beyond the realm of "normal", if you think about it.

To Laidema: I'll kill two birds with one post & say 'Welcome to WP' and work in a dialogue Ques. When writing dialogue I work out the rough outline of the scene in my head and then kinda close my eye's and imagine it somewhat visually, especially the speakers (or whomever I am using as the model for the speaker) and then they sort of speak for themselves and I just write down what they say.

Do you use a methodology and if so what is it ?

To BrandonSP: Not sure it will be of use but I just listed above the rough method I use, but it does usually require playing out the scene or parts multiple times. What I find most useful is having a real person I know (or mix of a few people) as a model for the character, who's voice, way of speaking is already familiar to me. I have the scene plotted out, and then just imagine what they might say. I am very focused and concentrating on it and actually listen to the sound of the words in my head. It might take a few trys to get it to where you are happy with the dialog itself and the 'sound' of it. Laidema makes the interesting point that written dialog has to be different from spoken dialog to 'sound' right as text. And I fully believe it. But other then possibly catching things that come off feeling/looking awkward in the editting process I am not sure how to define that difference. You can't always have a RL model, but I guessed that in time and with practice one can make originally created characters sound more real.

Hi Toy_Soldier. Thank you and nice to meet you.

I don't have a methodology for creating dialogue. I honestly just write it down. I try to think first of the setting and characters, but sometimes it works the other way round and characters which are not clearly laid out will suddenly start to exist with a few dialogue lines.

I have a methodology to review dialogue though:
- I read it aloud
- I try to work out what the characters do and how they feel while talking. I wonder whether they are hungry, cold or comfortable, angry, annoyed, impatient, oblivious of something...
- I check the vocabulary and level of language against the character's background. This is especially important because I write SF, so said background may be quite unusual.
- I read it aloud again
- I get someone else to beta-read it

Usually I add some more details in between when reviewing: a shaking hand, a cup of tea, bitten lips, averted gazes, this kind of things. I make the scene replay slowly and pay attention to everything. Details help to make something feel real. Sometimes what you have to correct isn't the dialogue but the whole little things around the dialogue. It doesn't need to be "normal" body language. Unusual is good. Unusual is interesting. It must be consistent though. And it might require some explaining of the character's state of mind in the narration.

Thankyou Laihdema! I think I do something like the reading aloud in my head, but number 2 and 3 are wonderful little revelations. This is like a whole handful of shiney new coins that I pour from one hand to the other greedily.

I love writing. I actually feel that as an aspie, it might even be easier for me to write than it is for most people. I act so awkward interacting with others in real life, but when I write, my thoughts usually come across more naturally. While writing, you do not have to make eye contact or worry about non verbal social cues or anything like that.
Also, I honestly prefer to write stories about social situations, or realistic fiction, as opposed to fantasy or sci-fi. I would suggest, and I know this sounds cliche, but I would suggest writing about your own experiences with social interaction.

I'm into writing too. My genres include science fiction, horror, and thrillers.

The problem is that I can't get anything written. This is due to personal demons, lack of concentration, depression, and a dysfunctional family. I have great ideas, but no means expressing what I want in my own unique way and style.

To anyone with writers, block, the book "War of Art" is amazing in helping break it. It's super fast, easy read.

To you guys talking about character, this always worked for me in terms of getting the character's voice. Literally, I would pick an actor who I think would be awesome in the part, and mimic his voice in my head. We're all good at that, a little echolalia(sp) side effect It was always comedy for me, which is easier in the sense that most comedic actors play the same characters. Sandler is usually the adult kid who needs to grow up and accept responsibility. Plus Sandler adds his own style.

So I take my character and say, what if Adam Sandler played this guy? He would say this and this, and talk like this.

(At this point, you have preliminary scenes in your head. Or moments, events in your story. So you plug in Adam Sandler, or whoever, as your character, interacting in the scene. What would they say? Then switch out other potential actors. If it's comedy, you might think of some other dudes, and plug them into your story. What would John Goodman say? Or even think about characters, what would The Dude say?

This might sound super cheesy Hollywood BS, but there's value to it. I would think that even if you're writing short stories, novels, comics, etc, you can still find value in imagining actors who you are familiar with, playing the part of you character.

And it's FOUNDATION, you're not ripping something off, you're trying to find a familiar place to start with.

At least I think all this is true.....there's something good in there somewhere...lol

The second scene I have edited out of "Topless Delivery" (my first novel) takes place out on the oceanfront patio at the Marriott Grande Dunes Resort, where Chad and Heather's wedding reception is taking place. In this scene, David (my Aspergian narrator) brings out his laptop computer and uploads the video footage of Pure Ecstasy's musical performance from earlier in the evening to YouTube.

I bring out my trusty laptop computer and set it up on a small round table on the oceanfront patio. Once the setup is complete, I take the memory card from the video camera out of my pocket and insert it into the card reader on the side of my computer. There is a strong wireless internet connection here. Now that I've obtained Michelle's consent on behalf of the band, it's time to upload the Pure Ecstasy concert video to my YouTube. Two minutes, I see that the upload is successful. Let's see how the video turned out.

Ashley emerges from the Grand Ballroom and says, "Hi, sweetie. Michelle told me that I'd find you out here uploading our performance onto YouTube. I can hardly wait to see it myself."

Because YouTube videos are limited to 10 minutes in length, I have to upload six different segments onto my account. The first segment features my performance of "Dance Across the Sky," the song I had written for my future First Dance with Ashley. Chad and Heather asked me to play it live for theirs. Now, it's our turn to give it a spin.

I click on the link and ask her, "Ashley, may I have this dance?"

She touches my cheek and sweetly replies, "David, I'd be honored."

It is not until we start dancing real slow and real close do I realize that I accidentally clicked on the link to my rendition of "O Canada", which I played in a slow string setting. Weirdly enough, she doesn't seem to notice my little technical glitch...until she notices a tear in my eye.

Ashley wipes the tear from my face and sweetly asks, " Sentant un peu la nostalgie, sommes-nous?" Feeling a little homesick, are we?

I softly reply, "Oui, un peu," as she wraps her arms even more tightly around me and kisses me. Yes, a little.

After a hot, deep kiss that causes her knees to buckle a little bit, she asks, "David, à quand remonte la dernière fois que vous avez visité Toronto?" David, when was the last time you visited Toronto?

I reply, "Ashley, il ya eu au moins dix ans despuis que je suis là." It's been at least ten years since I've been there.

She says, "Toronto est une ville magnifique. J'adorerais y aller avec vous." Toronto is such a beautiful city. I'd love to go there with you.

I kiss her and say, "J`ai hàte de vous montrer les endroits où j`ai grandi. Peut-ètre que nous pouvons mème prendre un jeu des Blue Jays au Rogers Centre." I look forward to showing you the places where I grew up. Perhaps we can catch a Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre.

Reaching the laptop a few seconds later, I check my YouTube playlist and make sure that the segments of Pure Ecstasy's concerts were loaded in the correct order...and they were. I click on the first segment, which features my song, "Dance Across the Sky."

Upon hearing my piano intro, I gently take Ashley's hand and softly ask, "Ashley, Puis-je avoir cette danse?" Ashley, may I have this dance?

Her deep sapphire eyes light up as she sweetly, yet excitedly, replies, "Absolument!" Absolutely!

As we dance slowly and gracefully out here on the patio, we gaze into each other's eyes and lose all sense of time and space. We don't notice that several other couples join us in what we thought was a very private dance. We conclude this dance with a hot, deep kiss that leaves us both tripping. Only when we hear them cheering are we aware of their presence.

I edited this scene completely out of the book because one would have to hear the music and the dialogue in order to understand the meaning. I got the idea from a remark made to me by the daughter of a lady I once dated, referring to a particular song that her mother liked. I replied by saying, "That would be like dancing to the national anthem," as that song held a special significance in my life. However, if "Topless Delivery" is ever made into a movie, I hope to use that scene in the film version.
I think Steve Carrell would be perfect for the part of David.

I must share a few notes from the above scene. David is an Aspie and has to deal with the conflict between his Aspergian nature and his desire for social interaction. Ashley, his leading lady, is the prototypical Southern socialite who leads him out of the darkness and silence of his life and turns him into the Southern gentleman she always wanted. In turn, he helps her to overcome her serious trust issues with men. His first "moment of truth" occurs at her roommate's beachfront wedding reception, which is where this scene takes place.

Please note: David, although American born, was raised in Canada. He, his parents, and his sister all hold dual citizenship and are bilingual (English/French). His mother is French-Canadian by birth. He was diagnosed with AS after moving back to the States at the age of 16. Here, he had just turned 40.

I believe that it is imperative to keep the dialogue and the story as believable as possible. Make the characters as multidimensional as you can. Make your readers feel like they are sitting in the middle of the action by describing the sights, sounds, scents, touches, and tastes in your narration.

Hello,

Just joined, spotted this little thread and am announcing my intention to lurk and post, because just jumping in otherwise would be rude and uncouth.

I am a diagnosed 'aspie,' (I'm new, using the word is odd to me,) and one of my greatest lifelong passions has been medieval times, as such I have a great love for fantasy, and have been working for a few years now on a series of fantasy novels, with worldbuilding and the first one being the primary focus.

I look forward to lurking here and posting when I can!

Ciao.

EDIT: NM, I originally had here some defeatist BS about giving up writing, but now I feel I should persevere with the craft. I need to stop giving up.

Last edited by BrandonSP on 28 Oct 2012, 2:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

I've been told my characters are "not very reactive." But that's really only when I try to write NT characters. When I write someone I can relate to or someone I understand, there's usually great praise for my stories. I seem to write psychopath characters really well.

Personally, I've never had much of a problem writing convincing dialogue between characters. Because of my asperger's, I find it extremely difficult to block out exterior noise and focus on the subject at hand, so this means that, while I may not be part of all conversations, whatever I hear around me I soak up like a sponge. I have a pretty good grasp of basic psychology, and sometimes I feel like I actually understand how people operate better than others, as I can look at things in a purely unbiased, analytical matter.

That said, oftentimes my scenes are inspired by what I've seen in movies, too (and I have a relatively good taste in movies), although one must be careful when doing this. That is to say, there are plenty of movies with very entertaining characters and dialogue, but it doesn't mean it's very realistic.

As to my advice to you, I'd say to literally take notes as to what other people are saying around you- how do they react, how do they start conversations? What kind of person is this- well-adjusted, rich, poor, sheltered, jaded? Try and gauge their actions.