A Diet for Writing Dynamic Dialogue
by Peggy Sue Wells @PeggySueWells Like delicious desserts, dialogue is often a reader�s favorite part of a story. We quote great dialogue for generations. �Off with her head!� � Lewis Carroll. �We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.� � Winston Churchill. �There�s so much scope for imagination.� Lucy Maud Montgomery. �It�s me again, Hank the Cowdog.� John Erickson. �Give back to Caesar what is Caesar�s and to God what is God�s.� � Jesus Christ. Dialogue is what characters say. Powerful stories are dialog driven through carefully chosen word selections. When Scrooge responds to Christmas cheer with �Bah, humbug,� Charles Dickens has masterfully portrayed the old man�s attitude and character in two words. Dialogue has dynamic purpose in a manuscript. It economically accomplishes several vital objectives. Dialogue must: 1. Move the story forward. �I�m going over there right now.� This declaration tells the reader what direction the action is takin...