“Great impersonators throw aside their own way of talking and take on the voice of another. As you work with character, letting yourself be possessed by this person, you want to abandon the automatic voice in your head that offers dialogue as you would speak it, and become the voice of this new person.” —Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall,
Finding Your Writer’s Voice: A Guide to Creative Fiction, quoted in
Write Great Fiction: Dialogue by Gloria Kempton
Read what students are saying about this class.
Dialogue is perhaps the most important characterization tool at a fiction writer's disposal; unfortunately, it can be the most difficult technique to master. Stiff, unnatural or overdone dialogue can doom the liveliest characters or stall the most exciting plot. But effective dialogue can propel your characters and story off the page, deep into the imagination of your reader.
When you have completed this workshop, you should have a thorough understanding of effective dialogue in fiction—from the mechanics of structure and punctuation to the use of dialogue as a tool for characterization and plotting. You’ll learn character development and characterization techniques that can be applied to fiction of any genre or length. This workshop will teach you a variety of techniques to improve your dialogue-writing skills, as well as show you that dialogue doesn’t have to be feared: It can actually be fun!
The workshop will consist of six one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures and associated textbook reading assignments, along with a writing assignment to be submitted to the instructor for private review. In addition, work will be posted each session for group critique. Throughout the workshop you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and group critique sessions, and will be encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and posted self-directed writing exercises. (1.2 CEUs)
If you're interested in effective dialogue, you may also be interested in our Creating Dynamic Characters workshop. These two workshops complement each other, and can be taken sequentially for maximum benefit (or simultaneously, if you have time to juggle both at once).
| Workshop length: |
six weeks |
| Textbook(s) to purchase: |
Writing Great Fiction: Dialogue by Gloria Kempton (Writer's Digest Books)
|
| Course Developer: |
Gloria Kempton |
| Tuition: |
$250.00 |
Workshop Outline
Session One: Abolish Your Fear of Dialogue and Access your Story’s Voice
Breaking down the fears of dialogue, one by one; Understanding the functions of dialogue (developing characters and exposing motives, revealing setting, creating tension and suspense, speeding up the scenes, establishing the scene’s mood, adding bits of setting and background, intensifying the conflict
Writing Assignment: Think of a story theme, an issue, or concept you feel passionately about. Then write a scene of dialogue in which the viewpoint character announces this theme—subtly or overtly—to another character. Keep your scene to 500 words or less. Resist preaching; strive for authenticity and naturalness in the dialogue.
Session Two: Genre Dialogue and Character Motivation
Creating distinctive and authentic dialogue for your story’s genre; Using dialogue to reveal your character’s motivation; Developing the character with the dialogue quirk
Writing Assignment: This assignment has two parts:
a. Select one of the seven different types of dialogue and write a 250-word scene focusing on this type of dialogue. Identify the dialogue you’re using; magical, cryptic, descriptive, shadowy, breathless, provocative, uncensored.
b. Write a 500-word scene of dialogue that provides some aspect of your viewpoint character’s motivation. If applicable, give the character a dialogue quirk to add to the characterization of the viewpoint.
Session Three: The Mechanics of Dialogue
Identifying the most common dialogue mistakes; Punctuating and formatting dialogue
Writing Assignment: Write a scene of dialogue between two or three characters, trying to keep from making any of the most common mistakes and paying close attention to the other elements that can derail a scene of dialogue. Keep your scene under 750 words.
Session Four: Weaving Narrative, Action and Setting into Dialogue
Using dialogue to unveil the story’s setting; Synthesizing dialogue, narrative and action for a three-dimensional effect; Achieving rhythm in a scene of dialogue
Writing Assignment: This assignment has two parts:
a. Write a 500-word scene of dialogue between two or more characters, focusing on bringing a setting to life, using sensory details. This can be a setting in the character’s past or the one in the present dialogue scene.
b. Create a scene of conflict between two characters, balancing all three elements— dialogue, action and narrative—to reveal what the viewpoint character wants in the scene. If appropriate, try to insert some background into the scene in a way that doesn’t bog the scene down.
Session Five: The Power of Dialogue to Create Mood and Conflict
Tightening the tension in dialogue; Using dialogue to heighten suspense; Writing emotion-evoking dialogue; Adjusting the story’s mood through dialogue
Writing Assignment: This assignment has two parts:
Consider your viewpoint character in a scene of dialogue with another character. Imagine:
1) what he wants—desperately,
2) what he’s most afraid of, and
3) what will make him most memorable to the reader.
Write a brief summary, identifying these three things for your instructor in 250 words or less.
Write a 1000-word scene of dialogue between two characters, choosing for your viewpoint character the one who has the most to gain or lose. Weave the three elements in Part 1 into the dialogue. Focus on creating the kind of tension and emotion in your scene that the reader can feel and connect with.
Session Six: Dialogue that Moves the Story and the Reader
Pacing your story with dialogue; Understanding how dialogue can propel the story forward; Creating dialogue that connects with readers
Writing Assignment:
Write a 1500-word opening scene of dialogue for a story that engages the reader at an emotional level and connects with the reader because of the viewpoint character’s ability to be brutally honest about what he wants in the story. This can be either a slow-paced or fast-paced scene, but be sure it gets the story rolling and is the right pace for the story you’re going to write, whether it be contemplative and thought-provoking or full speed ahead and full of action.