You could write a book - and many have - on what to do and not do when writing fiction. We're not going to get into that degree of detail here, but there are lots of little things you can do that make your writing exponentially better. Here are 6 to start with:
1. Stick with "said." As in, "'I like pickles,' she said." "Say" and "said" are almost always much better options than anything else you could stick in there, such as "enthused," "gushed," or "opined." You can throw one of those in every great once in a while, but too many are distracting and annoying for the reader; they also become a crutch that helps you avoid writing strong, self-sufficient dialogue. "Say" and "said" blend into the background, as they should; "spouted" and "blurted" don't.
2. Watch your adverbs. Writers tend to lean on adverbs when their verbs aren't strong enough. It's much better, and more descriptive, to say, e.g., "She yammered on for hours" than "She talked constantly." If you're feeling brave sometime, do a document search for "ly" and see how many adverbs you can get rid of.
3. Beware the hero/villain trap. Don't make your characters 100% good or 100% evil. Real people (Bernie Madoff excepted) are almost always a mix of the two, and your most interesting characters should be as well. Let the reader see all sides of your characters, while still keeping them believable.
4. Keep your speakers straight. Ever read a long string of back-and-forth dialogue and have to count lines back to see who's saying what? Don't be that writer. If it's not crystal clear from the context who's delivering which line, add in attribution where necessary (again, keeping Rule #1 in mind - "Jane said" rather than "Jane extemporized.")
5. Give your characters something interesting to do. Unless there's a legitimate reason your characters have to be sitting around a kitchen table while exchanging a bunch of dialogue, give them something to do while they're talking - have them pick apples, or shop for shoes, or go fishing. You get the idea.
6. Think twice before introducing dialect. Writing any sort of regional dialect is a skill that takes most writers years to master (and many of us never really get the hang of it). It's hard to keep it consistent, comprehensible to the reader, and non-stereotyped. So think long and hard before concluding that what your story really needs is a Cockney urchin or two.
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Jennifer Carsen, J.D. is a "recovering lawyer" and the founder of Big Juicy Life. She turns lawyers into writers. Go to http://www.bigjuicylifecoaching.com for a free copy of "6 Myths About Leaving the Law for Writing."
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
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