Dialogue 101 [Becky Mandelbaum]

Introductory | When done well, dialogue can make our characters come alive on the page. When done poorly, it can make them sound robotic, contrived, or stilted. So what’s the difference between good dialogue and bad dialogue? How do we write the difference? Using examples from contemporary fiction, we’ll explore how to write natural dialogue that increases tension, advances character development, and grabs our reader’s attention. Students will have an opportunity to submit a short piece of dialogue for critique.