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This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn talk dialogue. We’ve noticed what may be some poor advice and some frightening trends in dialogue floating around out there. Time to bust some myths and pop some speech balloons!
- How should dialogue be formatted and how does it differ from interiority and thoughts?
- When and why does it make sense to honor trusted conventions?
- How would “experimentation” work in the voice of AI?
We draw on the past two Writers Book Club short stories for examples of dialogue, interiority, and narrative point of view. There is a lot of craft to unpack in this week’s episode, a bit of silliness, and a writing prompt, too!
“Dialogue is an art form all in and of itself. So be aware of what you’re putting on the page.”
“Dialogue should reveal something to the reader.”
VIDEO
AUDIO
SHOW NOTES
Things we talked about:
Defining dialogue – including necessary punctuation! (0:58)
Don’t make your readers work too hard. (2:55)
Establishing the convention. (4:34)
Why are these conventions so important? (7:36)
What is the function of dialogue (and how to do it right)? (11:00)
The dialogue tag issue. (13:30)
Keep your stories readable! (17:20)
Balance out your dialogue. (18:25)
Alida’s shameless plug for the Story Works Guide to Writing Point of View. (19:45)
Writing Prompt! Put this information into action! (20:34)
LINKS
Things We Mentioned:
The Story Works Guide to Writing Point of View
Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.
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