Posted by Bethanne Strasser on Jun 10, 2009 in
Writing I love dialogue. Love, love, love.
If I go back to all my old favorites, Arsenic and Old Lace…Abbott and Costello, Breakfast at Tiffany’s…. Bringing up Baby. I could go on. The thing about those old movies is that they would have collapsed without good dialogue. The time when movies were based on really good writing.
We’ve got that today, don’t get me wrong, but more often I like to sit down with a book and enjoy the lost art of dialogue and conversation–a witty read that pulls me into the character’s lives.
How do I apply that to my own writing?
I see it in my head like an old-time movie. [okay, i'll admit, this movie line just cracks me up]
Bobe Hope on Zombies [sorry, the embeding html didn't work 
]
Mother of FIVE smarty-pants and married to her Love for twelve years, Bethanne spends her time writing stories that always--without a doubt--end happy.
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Posted by Debora on Jun 2, 2009 in
Writing 
Dialogue. It’s what moves the story at a faster pace. It’s what drags the reader into the world of the character and breathes life into the scene you’ve created.
Can I talk to anyone in real life? YES.
Am I ever at a loss for words? HARDLY EVER!
But when it comes to my writing, I love my narratives and my descriptions and even those inner dialogues my characters have with themselves (hey, if I can talk to myself, why can’t they? 
) - it just seems when I get those two people together on the page – I stop dead.
I’ll labor over those important words for DAYS. I’ll stare at the open quote mark and bang my head on the desk. If only my characters could all be telepathic mutes – I’d be fine
And the kicker? I struggle days over my dialogue and my crit partners comment how sparkling and easy it appears on the page. HAHAHA. Thanks girls for the boost – just don’t ask how long those few lines of dialogue took me to write or how much blood was spilled for that one stinking scene. You really don’t want to know!
At my recent local RWA meeting, I got some ideas that I plan to try this week – because as always, I’ve been staring at my hero’s blank response for just a little too long!
It was suggested I talk it out – yes, out loud. Okay, I talk to myself constantly…this should not be a problem. Why hadn’t I thought of this before?
Another suggestion was to write out the narrative and then convert as much as possible to dialogue (of course, without it being telling or an info-dump!) Another great suggestion – especially since I love my narratives.
What really surprised me is that some writers actually write the dialogue first. I almost passed out. Of course it got me thinking about this and I wonder how many writers either struggle with dialogue or love it? What techniques do they employ to get that dialogue sounding real and in abundance?
This inquiring writer needs to know.
Debora writes romance - all types of romance! Her tastes vary from the paranormal to romantic comedy and everything in between. Believing variety is the spice of life, her website changes frequently to appease her creative spirit! She freely admits to being a caffeine and chocolate addict and loves to talk about romance writing with anyone who'll listen. Her latest release, A Knight in Her Arms, was released August 3rd. Visit her website for me details!
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