How to Write Incredibly Good Dialogue
Sara Wiseman
For punctuation, match the standards of your genre.
There are four legs of the dialogue table: Music, movement, meaning, and mood.
Music: Rhythm, cadence, beat.
Slang can place you in a time period.
For regional slang, there are online resources.
(A member recommended Talk the Talk, The Slang of 65 American Subcultures, by Luc Reid, Writer’s Digest Books.)
Eavesdrop. Go out and listen to people’s rhythm and phrasing.
Movement: Dialogue moves the plot, the characters, and the reader
If dialogue doesn’t move the plot, it’s a problem.
Dialogue can move characters around the room.
Dialogue moves the reader. Readers respond to the “air” created on the page by dialogue, as opposed to big blocks of text.
Each character’s dialogue should be identifiable on the page, even without attribution.
Meaning:
Dialogue as a story within a story
Dialogue as hidden meaning:
Is he saying what I think he’s saying?
Does he know what he’s saying?
Does he know that I know that he know what he’s saying?
Mood:
Use natural elements and objects to express moods.
Are your clouds wispy, ominous, or is it a bright day?
Does the coffee cup shatter, chip, or hold a soothing drink of java?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Readings and Workshop with Monica Drake, author of Clown Girl
The Clown of Modern Fiction: Readings and a Workshop with Monica Drake
Monica Drake, the author of the lively and acclaimed novel Clown Girl, will give two free readings November 7: 11:30-12:30 p.m., Chemeketa Multicultural Center, Bldg. 2, and 7:30-8:30 p.m., The Blue Pepper Café, 241 Commercial St. NE, Salem.
Drake will also teach a one day workshop, “Stolen Truth: Bringing Your Life into Fiction,” on Saturday, November 8, from 8:30-4:30 p.m. at Chemeketa’s Writing Center in Building 9. Cost is $125 and includes lunch and featured publication in Building 45, the Chemeketa Literary/Arts Magazine. All proceeds benefit the Chemeketa Writing Program. Info and questions: jvanstav@chemeketa.edu (503) 365-4728.
Monica Drake, the author of the lively and acclaimed novel Clown Girl, will give two free readings November 7: 11:30-12:30 p.m., Chemeketa Multicultural Center, Bldg. 2, and 7:30-8:30 p.m., The Blue Pepper Café, 241 Commercial St. NE, Salem.
Drake will also teach a one day workshop, “Stolen Truth: Bringing Your Life into Fiction,” on Saturday, November 8, from 8:30-4:30 p.m. at Chemeketa’s Writing Center in Building 9. Cost is $125 and includes lunch and featured publication in Building 45, the Chemeketa Literary/Arts Magazine. All proceeds benefit the Chemeketa Writing Program. Info and questions: jvanstav@chemeketa.edu (503) 365-4728.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
New Writer’s Workshop for 2009
Writer’s-By-The-Sea presents: The Top Ten Mistakes Writers Make (And How to Fix Them) Saturday and Sunday, January 17th and 18th, 2009 at the Adobe Resort in Yachats, Oregon. You’ll find lively, humorous sessions on: The Slooow Start, Shaky Structure, Perfect Then Push On, Research-o-Rama, Who Are These People? Dialog Gaffes, Lost in Transitions, Weak-kneed Scenes and Marketing Fuzzout. Participants are invited to bring works-in-progress. Hands-on exercises will help participants apply the “fixes” to their manuscripts.
John Reed, workshop leader, is a well- known Northwest writer, teacher and Conference presenter. Reed is a staff instructor at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference and has taught at the Maui Writer’s Retreat, the Willamette Writer’s Conference, and the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference, among others. He is the creator of the Writer’s-By-The-Sea workshop series and offers an editing and critique service for writers at http://www.writerswelcome.com/ .
Workshop registration fee is $200.00. A complimentary continental breakfast will be provided. You’ll find a printable registration form on the ‘workshops’ page at http://www.writerswelcome.com/
An individual manuscript critique (up to 50 pages) is available for an additional $50.00. Manuscript deadline is December 31, 2008. Workshop registration closes January 10, 2009.
For more information, email jreed@writerswelcome.com
John Reed, workshop leader, is a well- known Northwest writer, teacher and Conference presenter. Reed is a staff instructor at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference and has taught at the Maui Writer’s Retreat, the Willamette Writer’s Conference, and the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference, among others. He is the creator of the Writer’s-By-The-Sea workshop series and offers an editing and critique service for writers at http://www.writerswelcome.com/ .
Workshop registration fee is $200.00. A complimentary continental breakfast will be provided. You’ll find a printable registration form on the ‘workshops’ page at http://www.writerswelcome.com/
An individual manuscript critique (up to 50 pages) is available for an additional $50.00. Manuscript deadline is December 31, 2008. Workshop registration closes January 10, 2009.
For more information, email jreed@writerswelcome.com
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
September Meeting Notes: Jessica P. Morrell
The best fictional stories stay with us.
Good fiction is balanced, intimate, and unified.
1. Balance: Balance creates harmony in the story. There is front story (things that go forward) and there is back-story (things that happened in the past—emotional wounds). The story follows the main character and second characters don’t steal the spotlight.
2. Intimacy: Intimacy gives the sense of “being there.” The reader needs to feel like they can walk around that world and know what they’d see and smell.
3. Unity: Unity is a sense that the story was written at one time, without stopping, starting, or changing, and everything comes together like the final note in a grand finale. The story has cohesion.
Story Arc:
Story arc is always based on adversity that is casual and related. Each character in the story has an agenda. What do they want? Make sure there are visual and sensory elements on all your pages.
The major events at the end of the story are always foreshadowed. Fiction is full of surprises and complication. If there are too many shocks and surprises, the reader will be untrusting. Instead, leave a campaign trail of things to come to leave your reader nervous and uneasy. Most foreshadowing comes through in second or third drafts.
Your story is built around a premise and/or theme. It’s the takeaway message and the heartbeat of the story. Premises and themes give you boundaries in writing your story. When you fully understand them, you make firmer choices and they don’t need to be shouted to be understood. An example of a premise is “don’t fool with mother nature” in Jurassic Park.
The story always begins at the most important moments of change because fiction is a record of threatening changes. The protagonist is the person who pays the biggest price by these changes. In the beginning of the story, there is an inciting incident, which is the threat of change. It comes into a character’s life and pushes them off balance. They have to teeter with that change. At the end, they have to be barely holding on. In YA /middle grade novels, the inciting incident is usually in the first paragraph.
Stories are told in scenes. There is a goal, obstacle, and a resolution. At the start of the scene, the protagonist wants something. When the scene is concluded, the protagonist ends in a different emotional space than when they started.
Character:
Characters are what linger in the mind after the story—their actions, their mistakes, and their messy emotions. Fiction is about interesting people in a lot of trouble and the main characters fascinate us.
In our lives, we like to be safe, but a protagonist is vulnerable.
A character does not necessarily have to be sympathetic and likeable to be memorable. Take risks with your character, break the rules …these are the people we want to read about—people that dare to be nasty!
Determine your characters level of morality. Do they think they’re a good person? What in their past led them to this morality? How far will they go to get what they want? An anti-hero is a character that is not black or white in their morality, but gray.
You also want to know your character’s emotional range. If they were pushed to their limits, pushed against the wall, what would they do? How would they react?
Develop characters through dialogue and action. There are always exceptions to this, but this method works for most stories.
Hierarchy of Traits:
There are three layers to your vulnerable protagonist: The first layer is the dominant personality traits, the second layer are the traits that support the dominant traits, and the third and final layer are traits that counter or contradict the first two layers.
1. Dominant Personality Traits: Choose three to six dominant personality traits that will get your protagonist through the story. These traits are firmly entrenched in them and they stay the same through the story. The character changes in the character arc, but these dominant traits will remain the same. Examples of dominant personality traits are brave, daring, ruthless, reckless, compassionate, resourceful, determined, brilliant, or risk-taking.
2. Second Layer: These traits support the dominant traits. They add depth to the character. This layer is shown as the story unfolds and gives the reader more intimate knowledge of your character. Examples of secondary or supportive traits are faithful, lustful, passionate, stubborn, impatient, tender, and outspoken.
3. Third Layer: These are the counter or contradictory traits of the character. It’s their hidden trait that they like to keep secret and in their pocket. This trait is only demonstrated under duress or under an extreme or highly emotional situation, which can be used to surprise readers.
Character Arc:
The character arc is how the character changes in the story.
An example of a character arc is in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy starts out lonely and believes nobody cares about her. In Oz, she finds belonging and wants to go back home to Kansas. In the beginning, Dorothy would have put her own welfare first, but in the end, she throws water on the Wicked Witch of the West to save Scarecrow.
The character arc is about emotional plot points. Once your character reaches one, it’s a one-way gate—there is no turning back. The character must move forward. You should test your character arc and give your character moral choices, but that will only work if you already have an understanding of what they would choose in that given situation. These sorts of choices create inner conflict, which all inevitably leads to the climax, which is where the fireworks happen and then resolution.
Character is often about someone’s growing understanding of the world. What are their opinions, values and self-image? What are their flaws? What do they have to overcome?
Types of Characters:
The protagonist pays the biggest price, changes the most, and has the readers’ sympathy or empathy. Empathy is how we come to know the character, so you must have at least one sympathy-provoking character in the opening scene. Someone is hurt, lonely, or murdered for example. Orphans are used a lot in fiction because they have high needs and emotional baggage.
The antagonist forces the protagonist in the way that he or she needs to change. The closer this character comes to the protagonist the more potency the antagonist has. The antagonist could be, for example, the main character’s meddling mother-in-law.
The villain is different from the antagonist because the villain has a clear agenda to cause harm or injury. When writing villains, it’s important to understand the “why.” Why do they want to harm the protagonist? Why do they dislike the protagonist so much to cause injury, etc.
As the author, you need to know your protagonist and antagonist because they both are transforming and changing. They must be round and full characters. Secondary characters do not need as much development and can exist for fun or to show character. Minor characters are usually flat and static.
Good fiction is balanced, intimate, and unified.
1. Balance: Balance creates harmony in the story. There is front story (things that go forward) and there is back-story (things that happened in the past—emotional wounds). The story follows the main character and second characters don’t steal the spotlight.
2. Intimacy: Intimacy gives the sense of “being there.” The reader needs to feel like they can walk around that world and know what they’d see and smell.
3. Unity: Unity is a sense that the story was written at one time, without stopping, starting, or changing, and everything comes together like the final note in a grand finale. The story has cohesion.
Story Arc:
Story arc is always based on adversity that is casual and related. Each character in the story has an agenda. What do they want? Make sure there are visual and sensory elements on all your pages.
The major events at the end of the story are always foreshadowed. Fiction is full of surprises and complication. If there are too many shocks and surprises, the reader will be untrusting. Instead, leave a campaign trail of things to come to leave your reader nervous and uneasy. Most foreshadowing comes through in second or third drafts.
Your story is built around a premise and/or theme. It’s the takeaway message and the heartbeat of the story. Premises and themes give you boundaries in writing your story. When you fully understand them, you make firmer choices and they don’t need to be shouted to be understood. An example of a premise is “don’t fool with mother nature” in Jurassic Park.
The story always begins at the most important moments of change because fiction is a record of threatening changes. The protagonist is the person who pays the biggest price by these changes. In the beginning of the story, there is an inciting incident, which is the threat of change. It comes into a character’s life and pushes them off balance. They have to teeter with that change. At the end, they have to be barely holding on. In YA /middle grade novels, the inciting incident is usually in the first paragraph.
Stories are told in scenes. There is a goal, obstacle, and a resolution. At the start of the scene, the protagonist wants something. When the scene is concluded, the protagonist ends in a different emotional space than when they started.
Character:
Characters are what linger in the mind after the story—their actions, their mistakes, and their messy emotions. Fiction is about interesting people in a lot of trouble and the main characters fascinate us.
In our lives, we like to be safe, but a protagonist is vulnerable.
A character does not necessarily have to be sympathetic and likeable to be memorable. Take risks with your character, break the rules …these are the people we want to read about—people that dare to be nasty!
Determine your characters level of morality. Do they think they’re a good person? What in their past led them to this morality? How far will they go to get what they want? An anti-hero is a character that is not black or white in their morality, but gray.
You also want to know your character’s emotional range. If they were pushed to their limits, pushed against the wall, what would they do? How would they react?
Develop characters through dialogue and action. There are always exceptions to this, but this method works for most stories.
Hierarchy of Traits:
There are three layers to your vulnerable protagonist: The first layer is the dominant personality traits, the second layer are the traits that support the dominant traits, and the third and final layer are traits that counter or contradict the first two layers.
1. Dominant Personality Traits: Choose three to six dominant personality traits that will get your protagonist through the story. These traits are firmly entrenched in them and they stay the same through the story. The character changes in the character arc, but these dominant traits will remain the same. Examples of dominant personality traits are brave, daring, ruthless, reckless, compassionate, resourceful, determined, brilliant, or risk-taking.
2. Second Layer: These traits support the dominant traits. They add depth to the character. This layer is shown as the story unfolds and gives the reader more intimate knowledge of your character. Examples of secondary or supportive traits are faithful, lustful, passionate, stubborn, impatient, tender, and outspoken.
3. Third Layer: These are the counter or contradictory traits of the character. It’s their hidden trait that they like to keep secret and in their pocket. This trait is only demonstrated under duress or under an extreme or highly emotional situation, which can be used to surprise readers.
Character Arc:
The character arc is how the character changes in the story.
An example of a character arc is in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy starts out lonely and believes nobody cares about her. In Oz, she finds belonging and wants to go back home to Kansas. In the beginning, Dorothy would have put her own welfare first, but in the end, she throws water on the Wicked Witch of the West to save Scarecrow.
The character arc is about emotional plot points. Once your character reaches one, it’s a one-way gate—there is no turning back. The character must move forward. You should test your character arc and give your character moral choices, but that will only work if you already have an understanding of what they would choose in that given situation. These sorts of choices create inner conflict, which all inevitably leads to the climax, which is where the fireworks happen and then resolution.
Character is often about someone’s growing understanding of the world. What are their opinions, values and self-image? What are their flaws? What do they have to overcome?
Types of Characters:
The protagonist pays the biggest price, changes the most, and has the readers’ sympathy or empathy. Empathy is how we come to know the character, so you must have at least one sympathy-provoking character in the opening scene. Someone is hurt, lonely, or murdered for example. Orphans are used a lot in fiction because they have high needs and emotional baggage.
The antagonist forces the protagonist in the way that he or she needs to change. The closer this character comes to the protagonist the more potency the antagonist has. The antagonist could be, for example, the main character’s meddling mother-in-law.
The villain is different from the antagonist because the villain has a clear agenda to cause harm or injury. When writing villains, it’s important to understand the “why.” Why do they want to harm the protagonist? Why do they dislike the protagonist so much to cause injury, etc.
As the author, you need to know your protagonist and antagonist because they both are transforming and changing. They must be round and full characters. Secondary characters do not need as much development and can exist for fun or to show character. Minor characters are usually flat and static.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Hero Journey Workshop: Gwynne Spencer
Monmouth, Oregon
On Sunday, October 26th, writers can participate in a high-energy three-hour workshop from noon to 3pm in downtown Monmouth that will help them shape and select their material to find the masterpiece hidden inside it.
For both beginning and seasoned writers of fiction, biography, memoir, history or screenplay, this event offers timeless answers to perennial questions of plot, place, and pacing based on the work of Joseph Campbell and other storytellers of renown.
Workshop leader Gwynne Spencer is author of The Hero Journey Workbook for Writers.
Cost is $25 plus the workbook ($15). To reserve space, or for information, please call 503.606.2696. Gwynne SpencerPO Box 525Monmouth 97361503. 606. 2696.
On Sunday, October 26th, writers can participate in a high-energy three-hour workshop from noon to 3pm in downtown Monmouth that will help them shape and select their material to find the masterpiece hidden inside it.
For both beginning and seasoned writers of fiction, biography, memoir, history or screenplay, this event offers timeless answers to perennial questions of plot, place, and pacing based on the work of Joseph Campbell and other storytellers of renown.
Workshop leader Gwynne Spencer is author of The Hero Journey Workbook for Writers.
Cost is $25 plus the workbook ($15). To reserve space, or for information, please call 503.606.2696. Gwynne SpencerPO Box 525Monmouth 97361503. 606. 2696.
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