Writers on Writing is our regular conversation with a writer or industry professional about the writing craft, industry insights, and their own practice. This week, we spoke to author Amy Lovat about writing realistic characters and compelling dialogue ahead of her upcoming course.
You’ve said about your debut novel Mistakes and Other Lovers that some of the events and characters were inspired by your own experiences. Is writing from real life the best way to write realistic characters?
In order to write realistic, compelling characters, you need to first and foremost be fascinated by people… the way they talk, dress, move, behave, react. I love to write in cafés and on public transport, because it’s amazing what you pick up on when you’re actively engaging with the world around you. I did take some inspiration from experiences I had and people I met in my early twenties because it was relevant to the story I wanted to tell, but that’s not to say I’m turning all my friends, family and enemies into caricatures of themselves in thinly veiled fiction!
For me, it’s about noticing, observing, listening to real people around me, and using that as fodder to create well-rounded characters that readers find interesting. For example, I once saw a preacher at a megachurch in NYC claim he’d gifted his (incredibly expensive) sneakers to a guy in the line behind him at McDonald’s, because the guy said he liked the shoes. I used that in my novel, because it worked so well for the character I’d created. Many years ago, a friend told me in passing that she always ate the skin of a kiwifruit. It wasn’t something I’d ever heard of and I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I used it in my novel. Often it’s the tiny details that matter most when creating characters.
As you say in the description for your upcoming course, ‘realistic dialogue breathes life into your characters’, but how do you balance realism with the need to be compelling?
Realistic dialogue is compelling, I would argue, because it’s realistic. It’s the triangle of character, dialogue and plot where the real balance lies. Dialogue needs to reveal character, but also move the plot forward. At the same time, dialogue can’t be used solely to move the plot forward, because that’s when it becomes unrealistic.
What books would you highly recommend reading for examples of strong characterisation and dialogue?
I recently read You Are Here by David Nicholls and I was utterly taken by the characters of Michael and Marnie. They were so nuanced, unique and lovable. I don’t think I’ve ever read better dialogue or wittier banter (big call!). The young people’s dialogue is incredibly strong in George Haddad’s Losing Face and in Green Dot by Madeleine Gray, and the characters are compelling in Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent, and incredibly authentic in Everyone and Everything by Nadine J Cohen.
Amy Lovat is the author of Mistakes and Other Lovers (Pan Macmillan 2023) and the founder of online bookstore Secret Book Stuff. She has a PhD from the University of Newcastle where she’s taught creative writing and the humanities for almost a decade. Amy is a professional editor and proofreader and has worked as a copywriter, subeditor and ghostwriter. She’s the former Program Manager of Writing NSW and current Program Manager of the Newcastle Writers Festival. Amy loves mentoring emerging writers, helping people tell stories with heart, and immersing herself in books and words.
Enrol now in Dialogue and Character Fundamentals with Amy Lovat, online from 28 April – 6 June 2025.
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