Tag: dialogue

May 2025, writing-tips

🌸 The Language of Flowers: Hidden Messages in Dialogue

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

Using Symbolism and Subtext to Deepen Your Storytelling

In stories as in nature, flowers hold more than just beauty—they whisper secrets.

The language of flowers, also known as floriography, has long been used to communicate emotions without speaking them aloud. In Victorian times, lovers exchanged bouquets to express everything from passion to parting. Today, writers can weave those same hidden meanings into their dialogue and scene work to create emotional depth, tension, or intrigue.

But what does that look like in your writing?

Let’s explore how to use floral symbolism in character interactions and dialogue—without ever saying the quiet part out loud.

🌹 Speak Through Symbolism

Imagine a scene where one character hands another a single red rose. Without saying “I love you,” the gesture speaks volumes. Now shift the flower: what if it’s a yellow carnation (which symbolizes disappointment)? Or lavender (often linked to distrust or caution)?

By choosing the flower carefully, your characters can communicate unsaid truths:

  • A daisy tucked behind the ear can show innocence or hope.
  • A wilted lily on a grave might speak of mourning or regret.
  • A bouquet of marigolds during a tense conversation can hint at pain or resentment.

These details are subtle, but they help readers feel the story rather than just read it.

🌼 Use Dialogue as a Bouquet

In dialogue, references to flowers can reveal a character’s inner world or upbringing. Maybe one grew up in a garden-rich home and associates tulips with safety. Another might mention peonies while dodging vulnerability, using the flower’s association with shame or secrets as a metaphor.

Examples:

  • “She always wore violets. Said they kept her calm, like they were listening.”
  • “You gave me daffodils? You know what they mean, right? False hope.”

These lines let emotion bloom between the words. Whether through teasing, remembrance, or tension, flower references can carry rich emotional undercurrents.

🌻 A Writer’s Floral Cheat Sheet

Here are a few common flowers and their symbolic meanings to inspire your next scene:

FlowerSymbolism
Rose (red)Love, passion
Rose (yellow)Jealousy, friendship
LilyPurity, mourning
LavenderDistrust, healing
PeonyBashfulness, shame
MarigoldGrief, cruelty
DaisyInnocence, new beginnings
ChrysanthemumTruth, loyalty

Use these symbols not just in physical settings but in memories, metaphors, or emotional subtext.

🌷 Let Your Story Blossom

When dialogue carries hidden meanings—whether through metaphor, gesture, or flower—the emotional impact deepens. Your characters don’t have to spill their hearts to be vulnerable. Sometimes, a flower says enough.

So next time you’re stuck in a scene, ask yourself: What would they say if they couldn’t speak? What flower would they give instead?

Let your dialogue bloom with meaning, one petal at a time.

Happy Writing ^_^

April 2025, writing-tips

Dialogue That Feels Real: Dos and Don’ts

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

If you’ve ever read a story where the characters talk like robots or wax poetic when they should be panicking… you know how much bad dialogue can kill a good story.

Great dialogue doesn’t just sound good—it feels real. It pulls readers in, reveals character, and moves the plot forward without feeling forced. But writing dialogue that sparkles and still feels authentic? Not always easy.

Let’s break it down with some practical Dos and Don’ts to help your dialogue hit just right.

✅ DO: Listen to how people talk

Real-life conversations are messy, emotional, and often filled with quirks. People interrupt, trail off, use contractions, and—let’s be honest—sometimes say the wrong thing.

Tip: Eavesdrop (respectfully!). Watch TV shows or movies with stellar dialogue. Write down snippets that sound natural and analyze why they work.

❌ DON’T: Overload with exposition

If two characters are talking just to dump information the reader needs, it’s going to sound awkward.

Bad:

“As you know, Jenna, ever since Mom died in that tragic car crash six years ago, you’ve had a hard time trusting people.”

Better:

“You always shut people out, Jenna. Ever since Mom… you’ve been different.”

Let the emotion do the heavy lifting.

✅ DO: Use subtext

What’s not being said can be just as powerful as what is.

Example:

A couple fights about dishes. It’s really about feeling unappreciated.
A teen talks about hating school. She’s actually scared of failing.

Readers love uncovering the real meaning beneath the words.

❌ DON’T: Make every character sound the same

Each character should have their own voice—word choice, rhythm, and tone. A snarky teen should sound different from a gruff old warrior or a nervous professor.

Try this:
Read each character’s dialogue aloud without tags. Can you tell who’s talking just by the words and tone?

✅ DO: Use contractions and natural phrasing

Unless your character is intentionally formal (a robot, royal, or old-fashioned type), they probably don’t say “I do not want to go to the store.”
They say, “I don’t wanna go.”

Small tweaks = big difference in flow and believability.

❌ DON’T: Use dialogue to fill silence just for the sake of it

Not every scene needs chatty back-and-forth. Sometimes silence, body language, or internal thought says more.

Let your characters breathe. Let tension simmer.

✅ DO: Read it out loud

This is one of the best tests. If you trip over your words or it feels stiff, your reader will feel it too. If it flows off your tongue naturally? You’re probably onto something good.

Quick Bonus Tip:

Avoid name-dropping too often.
In real conversations, we rarely say each other’s names unless we’re trying to get someone’s attention or make a point.

Unnatural:

“What are you doing, Sarah?”
“I’m just thinking, Mike.”
“You seem tense, Sarah.”

Natural:

“What’re you doing?”
“Just thinking.”
“You seem tense.”

Final Thoughts

Writing dialogue is part art, part instinct, and part practice. If you focus on voice, subtext, rhythm, and emotional truth, your characters will feel like real people readers can connect with.

So go on—write conversations that matter, that crackle, that linger.

And if you ever feel stuck? Just ask yourself: Would a real person actually say this?

Happy Writing ^_^