Roundup: Writing Dialogue
In our Roundups segment, we’re looking back at all the great posts since the blog started in 2009. We explore posts from our archives as well as other top literary magazines, centered on a certain theme to help you jump-start your week. This week we have posts on writing good dialogue.
When it comes to dialogue, there is no right answer as to how you should execute it in your story (really, there aren’t many right answers in creative writing). But you know good dialogue when you read it. So what makes it good?
From Ploughshares:
- Blogger Thomas Lee asks himself: What do I want my characters to say? Vs. What would they really say?
- In “Don’t Speak” Michael Klein admits that he tends to like the omission of dialogue.
- Note prompt # 19. Have you ever written a story with only dialogue?
From Around the Web:
- The Paris Review says, “Real speech deals with whole-wheat crackers. That’s what it’s for. Dialogue deals with whole-wheat crackers only if those crackers tell a secret—if they reveal something about the character speaking.”
- Litreactor gives us their “Ten Authors Who Write Great Dialogue.” Who would you add to the list?
- Dialogue Rule # 7: Expository Dialogue Is A Pair Of Cement Shoes. Terribleminds shares “25 Things You Should Know About Dialogue.”
