4 Tips for Writing Banter Readers Will Love
Greetings and Salutations Scribblers!
Today’s blog is about an aspect of writing that I both love because it’s so fun to read and hate because it takes so much work to get it right: Banter.
Reading a book that has well written banter between characters is so fun. It can make us laugh out loud or sometimes we even tuck their response into our brains in preparation for that one situation where we can pull that phrase out and use it.
Quick shout out to McKayla for suggesting this topic! Scribblers, if you have a writing topic you want me to dive into, just drop me a comment or email!
Writing good dialogue is a skill that most of us need to practice and then refine into that perfect witty banter between our characters. Banter does a lot of heavy lifting in a novel. It uses subtext to create meaning and push the reader toward a deeper understanding of the characters, their relationship, and the situation they’re in.
So today, let’s look at how you can work to create the perfect banter between your characters.
Tip #1:
Write it out poorly.
Yup, that’s right, the first time you write out dialogue, whether it’s destined to be banter or not, you’re likely to overwrite it. And that’s okay. When you’re drafting, it’s absolutely acceptable to do the “As you know Bob…” type of dialogue. You have to get words down and it’s okay if they aren’t perfect. Dialogue is one of the aspects that I am constantly tweaking in each revision as I pare it down to the essentials.
It pains me to do this sometimes, but I just have to write through the cringe and move on.
Tip #2: Cut as much as possible.
This will likely happen during revision, but you need to go back and cut out AS MUCH as possible. Banter and dialogue between characters suggest a rich history of inside jokes and shared experiences that they DON’T say outloud. What is the implied information they’re sharing when they say something? I have a coworker who watches just as many movies as I do. I love that I can stick my head in her door and say a single line with zero context and she knows exactly what I’m referring to that’s happening in our actual lives. You want to give just enough context so your reader can connect the dots.
This is what you’re aiming for with your banter and it’s going to take refinement to not only create that rich history between the characters, but to make the diction fit their individual character’s way of speaking. There isn’t one single way to do this, but focusing in on the history of the characters, what they mutually understand and the experiences they’ve gone through together is the key to developing not only spectacular banter but solid dialogue throughout your novel.
Tip #3: It needs tension or conflict.
There needs to be a source of tension or conflict. Two friends might not have conflict, but there could be tension in what they’re saying because they’re realizing how important the subject matter is to one or the other. Conflict banter is so fun to write and you see it a lot between love interest characters as they move through the will they or won’t they dance. Two friends bantering might be riffing off each other in order to create conflict with a third character in a scene. Banter doesn’t usually exist just for banter’s sake, it has a purpose, so figure out what that purpose is and then double down on it.
Tip #4: Study good banter and dialogue.
Study good banter and dialogue. When you read banter that makes you laugh or notice how fantastic it is, take a second and dig into it. What are they saying without saying? How are they playing off of each other’s words and building conflict. What call backs are there to things the reader has read and what call backs are there that haven’t been shown directly to the reader, but it’s something they can infer about a shared experience.
As you start to study these examples, you’ll see the care and intention that goes into creating memorable banter readers love!
Alright, the last thing I have for you are some examples to check out.
The first two are films. A great example of banter between characters is The Mummy, yes, the one with Rachel Weiss and Brendon Fraiser. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend doing so and noting how the banter is baked into the rhythm of the film and reveals a lot of subtext.
Another great example of banter in film is the movie Booksmart. These two friends have an amazing shorthand that allows them to immediately understand each other and leave A LOT unsaid.
Some great book examples are:
The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy
Fourth Wing
Little Thieves
Pretty much any Terry Pratchett book
Tell us in the comments what book you think has peak level banter! Until next time, happy writing Scribblers,
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