Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Dialogue and Man Caves - Why Didn't I Think of That?

Dialogue. There are, I'm sure, millions of words written about it on thousands of sites across the net. Well here's my five hundred words or so. :) Why now? Because I've reached the first major dialogue scene in the first chapter of my new novel.

Getting the characters into dialogue in Sunrise on the Pier was a little different. Jarin had a brief conversation with Anna Claire in the prologue, and then talked mainly to himself. Gabrielle carried on an internal conversation for the first several scenes. Conversation got started midway first chapter with Chase.

Conversation starts early in the new book. First in the prologue, then early in the first chapter - at the third scene. Crafting dialogue is my favorite part of writing - informing the reader via natural sounding conversation. Once again, I've let the characters run their mouths and have ended up with reams of it. Now I get to craft it into scenes and rearrange them so that it all makes sense in the flow of the book.

In this case, since the characters are children, I have to make sure they don't sound like little adults. L and her friends are very helpful. "Mom, nobody... who talks like that?" Then hysterical laughter while they tear my dialogue apart. I'm the mom, I have thick skin. I'm the mom, I have thick skin...

Similar help with conversations among men is my dream. I'm constantly trying to make sure they don't sound like male women. Men have a 'when the women and children aren't around' thing going that is very tough to crack. Is that what a man cave is for? To listen in when they think they are alone? Devious...I love it! Got to get me one of those... :)

I'd love your comments on the conversations that men have in Sunrise on the Pier. How do you think they sound? I'm the writer, I have thick skin... :)D

1 comment:

  1. Dialogue is so tricky! My current WIP is Young Adult Fiction and I keep thinking of corralling a bunch of teens to get some feedback. I'm jealous of your young dialogue checkers!

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