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Crime Writing beckons
If your cash is running out fast and you have an incessant need to write, why not turn to crime? No! Not committing crime, but to writing about crime. Crime is all around us, and people want to know about it. Don't believe me? Turn on the five...
"How You Can Find Freelance Children’s Writing Positions That Will Last"
Freelance children’s writing positions are always advertised. Rather, the schooling to learn how to write for these jobs is advertised. But, there is often a large lack of employment vacancies actually available. Many of these companies offering...
Lots of extra money waiting to be made from writing $5 articles
There is probably no easier way of earning extra money online. Yet many people ignore online writing and lose all that extra money, mainly because they get put off by those single digit dollar rates. $5 is a common one. But even as you read this,...
Web Writing's Evolution: The Web Content Market for Writers
When It All Began: The First Web Writings While there weren't many online writers in the formative years of the web, if you were around then, you know what it was like. What I remember most about the web back then (the Al Gore days?) was the ...
Where to Find Writing Jobs Online
A freelance writer’s best resource of finding jobs online are Job boards or sites. While some boards are geared specifically to the freelancer, many others also list other type of jobs. Some job boards allow freelancers to register their...
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A Few Keys to Writing Effective Dialogue
Every writer expends a great deal of creative energy developing a story line and limning well-balanced prose with evocative sentences. That's what writing is all about, after all. But fiction writers have an additional aspect to creation--effective dialogue. Very few stories, novellas or novels are without dialogue, and for some writers, this can be a stumbling block.
Listen to How People Talk
If you listen carefully to how people speak, you'll notice that people tend to use shorter sentences in times of high emotion: anger, surprise, awe. "I can't take this! Get out!" versus "I find this situation intolerable. I want you to leave right now." They ramble a bit when they're nervous or confused. "I know this isn't what you wanted, but I wasn't sure which way to make the diagram fit best on the page so I brought both copies with me. I hope you don't mind." Young children tend to get pronouns confused or leave out articles: "Me go to store with Gramma." You'll begin to recognize how different personalities have different word usage and diction. All of these observations can be incorporated in the dialogue you write.
The best grammar isn't always used, either. Even people who write well, don't always speak well. "I've got to get that new CD of Carlson's," takes precedence in speech over the more correct, "I have to buy Carlson's new CD." Word usage and contractions that you might avoid in narration become quite logical in dialogue: "There's no more to see, so let's get outta here."
Use Dialogue as Enhancement
To be most effective, use dialogue as an extension of your story line and character development. Let's say you have a character, Jane. She's late to the airport. She gets in a taxi and tells the driver she has to hurry to the airport. He agrees.
Well, those are the facts, and it could be left strictly to narration: Jane shoved her way into the cab and slammed the door as she told the driver to hurry to the airport. He
agreed.
Or dialogue could be used. These examples show how different Jane characters could speak and how the energy of the scene is increased.
Plain Jane: "I have to get to the airport really fast. Can you do that?" Cabby: "You betcha."
Jane of the streets: "The airport, bro, and hit it!" Cabby: "I'm on it!"
Jane the executive: "Airport. A big tip if you make it quick." Cabby: "Yes, ma'am!"
Jane the professor: "To the airport, please, and I'm in a hurry." Cabby: "Certainly."
You notice the cabby's response was dictated by Jane's words, making the scene more believable. Inconsistencies between people's words and actions should be used for a reason and also noted. For instance, if Jane the professor had said "The airport, bro, and hit it!" The cabby might have jerked to look at her, or the narrator might have commented how Jane chuckled inside at her language--or, both.
Writing effective dialogue is an art all its own and one that should be honed with observation and rewriting. Truly knowing your characters is essential. Reading scenes aloud to yourself or others (writing groups are good for this) will increase your ability to hear the rhythms of sentences and recognize good (not necessarily proper) word usage. With diligent practice, this creative aspect of your writing will become second nature and flow evenly with your story and literary style.
(c)2004 by Karyn Follis Cheatham
Karyn Follis Cheatham is the author of nine fiction and nonfiction books, numerous articles and published poems. She has edited for national magazines and publishing houses, and gives presentations at schools and libraries on writing and the American West. Visit her web sites http://www.kaios.com/ KAIOS.com and http://www.awritersaide.com/ A Writer's Aide.
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