Starting a Novel With Dialogue: Five Dos and Don’ts

Starting a novel with dialogue can be tricky, even for the most experienced writers. That’s why many writers avoid it altogether. When done poorly, it can leave readers scratching their heads. Who are these people? Who’s the main character? How is this conversation meaningful to the story?

But it can also be done well. With the right technique, you can start your novel with dialogue without losing readers along the way. It just requires some forethought and planning, and that’s what we’ll be discussing today.

Starting a Novel With Dialogue

So, can you start a novel with dialogue? Sure you can. You can do whatever you want. You’re the author, after all. It’s your book and your story to tell. You call the shots!

The real question is: Can you start your novel with dialogue without losing the reader?

That second question is a hard one. But let’s tackle it anyway.

The short answer is yes, starting your novel with dialogue is a viable option. There are many ways to open a story, and that’s one of them. But you want to do it in a way that helps the reader understand the story and its characters. You want to do it for the right reasons.

Here are five best practices for starting a novel with dialogue, followed by five potential pitfalls to avoid.

Five Things to Do

Okay. You’re convinced you want to start your story with a conversation between two or more people. What next? Here are five writing techniques and strategies that will help you succeed…

1. Introduce your main character first. If you start your novel with straight dialogue, readers won’t know who the protagonist is. Readers need to recognize the protagonist, or main character, in order to connect with the story. It’s like giving them an anchor they can cling to. But they have to know who that person is. You might want to start the scene in the main character’s head, from her POV, and then move into the dialogue.
2. Create context around the dialogue. Help your readers understand the context of the forthcoming dialogue. Otherwise, the conversation will be meaningless. For example, John and Jane are about to have a conversation about a new position opening up at work. If we learn beforehand that Jane (the protagonist) desperately needs the pay increase to cover her sick mother’s hospital bills, the dialogue has a lot more meaning. Without this added context, the dialogue might seem trivial and pointless. In a novel, dialogue should never be trivial. It needs purpose. It should either move the story forward or reveal character. Context helps you achieve both of those things.
3. Hint at the story’s main challenge or conflict. Conflict is the lifeblood of fiction. Without conflict, there can be no drama. And without drama, stories tend to fall flat. Starting your novel off with dialogue gives you an opportunity to inject conflict, or to hint at a future conflict. Seize that opportunity! When it comes to writing a novel, the sooner you get to the conflict, the better.
4. Minimize the number of speakers. Have you ever read a book that featured dialogue between a group of speakers, like four or more? It’s hard to keep up with, isn’t it? Even the best writers can confuse readers, if they have too many characters talking at one time. If you’re going to start your story with dialogue, consider limiting the number of speakers. It’s not the time for non-essential personnel.
5. Give your characters distinct voices and personalities. This is a good strategy to use throughout your novel. It’s especially important if you’re planning to start your first chapter with dialogue between multiple characters. If everyone “sounds” the same on paper, the reader will have an even harder time distinguishing between voices. This relates back to tip #1 above. If you introduce your main character before the dialogue begins — and give him/her a distinct voice — the whole scene will work better.

Related: How to break up action and dialogue

Five Things to Avoid

We talked about the things you should do when starting a novel with heavy dialogue. There are also some things to avoid. Here are five potential pitfalls that could derail your story before it even gets going…

1. Talking head syndrome. If you start your novel with dialogue from line one, the reader won’t know who the main character is. For that matter, she won’t know who any of the characters are. After all, they haven’t been properly introduced. They’re just talking heads, bantering back and forth. Who are these people? What’s the context of this conversation? If the reader can’t answer these questions, the whole dialogue becomes pointless.
2. Trivial characters. This is an extension of tip #1 above. In addition to identifying your speakers, you want to make sure they’re relevant to the story. Sure, your protagonist will speak to minor characters from time to time, as the novel progresses. But the opening scene probably isn’t the place for that. For maximum effect, consider having your opening dialogue take place between the protagonist and another major character.
3. Pointless dialogue. Hi, Jane, how are you? I’m good, Tom, how about you? Fine, thanks. Hey, did you happen to watch SNL last night? I sure did. Stop right there! If you start your novel with pointless dialogue or small talk, you’re giving the reader a good reason to put it aside. Opening a novel with dialogue can be risky. To minimize that risk, make sure the dialogue is meaningful within the broader context of the story. If you can do that and hint at the coming conflict / problem / challenge, you get bonus points.
4. Talking in a void. Where is the conversation taking place? What time of day is it? Who else is around? In other words, what’s the scene? If you don’t paint the scene before the dialogue begins, you’ll make it harder for the reader to get immersed in the story.
5. The name game. This one might seem a bit nitpicky, but it can have readers rolling their eyes from the start. I call it the name game. It’s when characters repeatedly use the other person’s name when speaking to them. (Example: Jamal, have you seen these latest reports? No, Amy, I haven’t. Well, Jamal, there might be a problem here. What kind of problem, Amy? Jamal, just look at these numbers…) We don’t talk to each other like that in real life, so why do it in fiction? It gets tiring fast.

Study the Masters, Follow Your Instincts

This isn’t a writing class and there aren’t any rules. These are just some things to consider if you plan to start your novel with heavy dialogue between two or more characters. Ultimately, you have to trust your instincts and choose what you feel is the best path forward.

You might also study the work of writers who are known for crafting good dialogue, writers like Margaret Atwood, Elmore Leonard and Toni Morrison. How do they handle their dialogue? How do they start their novels? Reading good fiction is the key to writing good fiction. Good luck!