Dialogue: the basics

Categories: Craft (Legacy)
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About Course

There’s so much to be said about dialogue. (Totally unintentional pun!) Some of us do it well naturally—we have an “eye” for dialogue. But we all have different strengths—and we all have things to work on and learn. In this mini course, we’ll cover the mechanics of dialogue–not so much what your characters should be saying but how you can write their dialogue for maximum readability. This includes paragraphing and punctuation, action tags and narration, and using dialogue to reveal and differentiate your characters.

 

This course was originally taught through Authors Incognito (now Storymakers Ink).

What Will You Learn?

  • Effectively use paragraphs to guide the reader through dialogue
  • Using punctuation correctly with dialogue
  • Using action tags to identify the speaker without boring the reader
  • Handling narration outside of dialogue to create a seamless experience for the reader
  • Write realistic dialogue without falling into the trap of writing boring dialogue to keep readers riveted
  • Reveal and differentiate characters through dialogue to engage readers with well-rounded characters

Course Content

Dialogue Mechanics

  • Punctuating Dialogue
  • Paragraphing and Micromechanics of Action Tags
  • When to Use Dialogue and Action Tags
  • What Dialogue to Leave Out
  • Balancing Narration and Dialogue
  • Using Indirect Dialogue
  • Making Your Dialogue Realistic
  • Avoiding the Pitfalls of “Realistic” Dialogue
  • Differentiating Characters Through Dialogue
  • Revealing Characters Through Dialogue

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