As I noted earlier, the best way to judge dialogue read aloud is to read it in a monotone without expression. The words have to do the job.
— Stein - "On Writing"
The trick works because expression is a cheat. When you read dialogue aloud with feeling, you're supplying the life the words don't actually have, and your ear gets fooled into thinking the line works. Strip the performance away and you find out fast whether the words alone carry meaning, rhythm, and character.
Try it on a line like "I never wanted this." Said flatly, does it still land, or does it need a raised eyebrow to mean anything? If it goes dead in monotone, the writing needs work, not the delivery.
The caution: don't swing too far and start writing dialogue that sounds robotic because you've drained all music out of it chasing flatness. The test is diagnostic, not a style. Use it to find weak lines, then let the words breathe again once they've earned it.
Comments