Dialogue creates white space and movement. I often use it to outline scenes.

At first, it is exciting. I can hear the conversation’s rhythm and volume. I know how the characters feel when they talk to each other and how they move. Intentions are obvious.

I’m not listening to people actually talking. This is all in my head. No green screen visual effects. Nothing visual, at all. I have no sense of their identity, appearance or location. I’m negligent with these details in real life so why would I expect more from my imagination?

All the concrete details which make a story accessible to a reader are missing. I have to do a lot of over-writing to figure out the characters. This is how the story eventually emerges.

Character appearance gets described based on how I feel the other character sees them. The describing character is in a particular mood. I can sense this from what they say. This process results in a more accurate character description for the story that what the character actually looks like.

I never care about eye color or chiseled jaws. I’m better at sensing than seeing. Details are meant for manipulation, at least in storytelling, but I would like to get better at seeing which is why I’ve taken drawing classes.

In drawing, white space and black space are visual equals. Dialogue demands the same equality, but shades of meaning and personality are a little harder to draw.