After years of personal practice in the act of writing, I’ve come to the conclusion that not all dialogue is created equal or the same.

Personally, I believe that there are various types of dialogue that have a unique and specific function in a story. However, for now, I’ll focus on three types of dialogue types. These dialogue types are as following: descriptive, functional, and epic.

Dialogue Type I: Descriptive

Descriptive dialogue explains your story plot and your character’s purpose. It can also revel itself in many ways, but the most common way (and the easiest to illustrate my example) is the student-teacher conversations. (Think: Yoda-Skywalker or Gandalf-Fodo interactions.)

Example: Confused Student with an inferiority complex talks with Teacher.

Student: “But what is my purpose? I am nothing compared to my brother.”
Teacher: “One’s purpose is discovered, my child.”
Student: “But how?”
Teacher: “Fight for it.”

Descriptive dialogue is a great way to introduce the plot of your story without resorting to excessive illustrative prose.

Dialogue Type II: Functional

Functional dialogue sets up your story. These are the conversations that are usually forgotten by your reader/audience but is necessary in setting up the plot of your story.

Example: Hero is lost in a big city.
Hero: ‘Where in the world is Avia Water Street?’
Random Stranger: “Down two stoplights and past the Chinese restaurant.”
Hero: “Okay, thanks!

Functional dialogue doesn’t need to be mind-blindingly creative. It just gets your character or story from Point A to Point B.

Dialogue Type II: Epic

Epic Dialogue is probably the most important type of dialogue you write when you are crafting a story. This is the dialogue that defines your entire story and will leave the greatest impression on your readers/audience. Usually, this type of epic is found in the climax. Epic dialogue contents the lines that are quoted excessively by readers/audience members because it leaves an internal thematic ring inside them.

Examples:

Star Wars: “I am your father.”
300: "Prepare for glory!"
Dirty Harry: “Go ahead, make my day.”

Epic dialogue is the toughest to write and is extremely depended on the previous conversational exchanges between your various characters, the story line, and the intensity of the climax. Therefore, a writer' epic line/dialogue is linked to overall story design.

More about Dialogue in the Camali’s Writing Tips - Dialogue, Part 3

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