Using Dialogue
This was one of the panels at the PSWA conference.
Moderator: Mike Black
Participants: Frank Hickey, Thonie Hevron, Ilene Schneider, Janet Greger, Barbara Hodges
Set the tone in dialogue
Eavesdrop to see how people talk
Try to put as much of the story into dialogue as possible.Give your characters tics and tells.
Use a light touch with dialects
Use a light touch with dialects
Read the dialogue out loud
Must move the plot forward or reveal character
Leave out the mundane things we say.
(They talked about setting too, but I didn't take any notes on it. Have no idea why, possibly because someone was talking to me about something.)
Marilyn
P.S. There also was a panel on point-of-view which I've discussed several times on this blog.
Another topic was working with an editor and here's a few tips from that one:
Everyone needs an editor.
Belong to a critique group and use a content editor.
An editor can make you a better writer.
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