Write Great Fiction: Dialogue
Dialogue may be the most important characterization – but most difficult to master – tool at a fiction writer’s disposal. Stiff, unnatural or overdone dialogue will doom the liveliest characters or stall an exciting plot. Effective dialogue propels your characters and story off the page, deep into the imagination of your reader.
In this workshop, you will gain a thorough understanding of effective dialogue in fiction, including the functions of dialogue to develop characters, expose motives, reveal setting, create tension and suspense, speed up scene and more.
Abolish your fear of dialogue and access your story’s unique voice!
Course level: Beginner / Intermediate
Required Book: Writing Great Fiction: Dialogue by Gloria Kempton
Workshop Length: 6 weeks
Tuition: $299.00 ($269.10 for VIP)
Start Date: View Write Great Fiction: Dialogue Course Schedule
Course Structure
The workshop will consist of six one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures (text based) 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)
You will learn:
- The mechanics of structure and punctuation in dialogue
- How to use dialogue as a tool for characterization and plotting
- Character development and characterization techniques that can be applied to fiction of any genre or length
- Techniques to improve your dialogue-writing skills
Who should take this course:
- Writers who want to create realistic dialogue between their characters that aids in the development of the plot
- Graduates of other beginner level workshops
- Novel, Short Story, and Creative Nonfiction writers
Course 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:
Part I: 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.
Part II: 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:
Part I: 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.
Part II: 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:
Consider your viewpoint character in a scene of dialogue with another character. Imagine:
- What he wants—desperately,
- What he’s most afraid of, and
- What will make him most memorable to the reader.
Part I: Write a brief summary, identifying these three things for your instructor in 250 words or less.
Part II: 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.
