Institute for Instructional Excellence: Developing Dialogue that Speaks Presented by the Center for Writing Excellence © 2013 Center for Writing Excellence

Institute for Instructional Excellence: A bit about Janie Freelance Writer – Newspapers – Magazines – Published book: “Do You Call Yourself a Writer?” Available at Lulu PressLulu Press – Online for multiple sites Trainer Curriculum Specialist Educator Writing online for several years

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Talking Characters Get your characters to talk to each other Good, realistic dialogue – Adds reader believability Not always easy to do – Adds so much to the story – Can’t afford to leave it out

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Eavesdrop Carry a notebook and pen everywhere Jot down interesting comments you overhear Note things like graffiti, advertisements Listen to voice inflections and note them Watch body language, write it down Listen to conversations

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Cut the Boring Parts Not everything you hear will be scintillating conversation Use narrative to cover missing, dull conversation Don’t need to relate every word, every gesture.

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Stuck? Ask … ‘what if…?’ Make up the details Add some interest to the background Change the circumstances Have something happen

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Trust your Characters They will tell you what they want you to know Sometimes they will surprise you Pay attention to them Trust them

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Dialect? Dialect gives a lot of information to the reader Use it carefully Too much and your reader won’t understand Use descriptors instead of actual dialect

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Read it Aloud Listen to the words Have someone else read it aloud Listen again

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Listen When listening to conversations, pay attention Hear the words Discover the meaning behind the words Turn what you hear into a story with rich dialogue

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Read Dialogue Scenes in Plays Plays are great resources for finding out about dialogue

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Avoid Deliberate Cruelty If modeling your characters after someone you know Change enough so your reader does not figure it out

Institute for Instructional Excellence: Read About Dialogue Crafting Realistic Dialogue by Bonnie Way – dialogue.html dialogue.html Writing Dialogue by Siobhain M Cullen –

Institute for Instructional Excellence: © 2010 Center for Writing Excellence Keep in Touch Contact information – Janie Sullivan: – – Facebook: Janie Sullivan – SKYPE: janie.sullivan1 Center for Writing Excellence: – Dialog: Breathing Life Into Writing workshops/dialogue/ workshops/dialogue/