Dialogue is King

 Last week at RWASD we were entertained by Jane Porter, New York Times & USA Today best selling author. She is also the founder and editorial director of Tule Productions.

I could see form the way she approached the subject of dialogue that anyone who took to heart and pen what she said would become a more popular author.

Here's some highlights that I found valuable:

Since she reads a ton of manuscripts she appreciates dialogue more. It carries the story. She recommends the majority of the writing should be dialogue. I believe she said 70%!!

Dialogue should progress the plot

Reveal character

Contain emotional context

Entertain

Tidbits: men communicate authority, women communicate to connect. Relate real, not stereotypical dialogue. Women use much more words than men. {I say men internalize rather than speaking out.}. Set deadlines in the story. Never forget the conflict in every scene. Make speeches brief. Pay attention to pacing (fast is good). Don't forget interruptions, it's reality.

Establish the reason the protagonist takes the journey. It is better if it is based in social concerns rather than pure ego (specifically selfishness). {I think ego is good if it is part of an arc toward redemption.}

I have already improved my WIP because of her.

My daughter's memory

On my daughter Lani's last birthday she thanked everybody for keeping a little bit of distance. A couple kids were not tended to by their parents and hugged her. They had colds. I was horrified and immediately removed them. Today, she would ask you to follow the CDC guidelines for it will soon be over, hopefully. Lani was very much for promoting civil rights and the responsibilities that come with. Honor her memory for me.

The habit of writing

Aristotle stated, “the pursuit of a virtuous activity of (the) soul.” It is about discovering or uncovering your “essential self,” and the perfect wisdom that lives within you, waiting to be revealed and released. Noble Purpose is characterized by an experience of freedom, unbounded joy, and vitality for life and service to others.

The only road to traditional publication is through the harmony of purpose, time, learned skills, and talent.

If you are not creating new writing at least two hours a day and you want to get published, forget about it.

In my travels and my readings of world-famous authors I have discovered they all have something in common. They never stop writing.

If you don’t have a story you are chaffing to write and then dig in, forget about it.

If you don’t dedicate at least two hours a day (Susan Elizabeth Phillips does this) to new writing and perhaps six more hours to related activities, such as editing, forget about it.

Why? Two reasons.

1.       It’s a job. If you worked 5 days a week eight hours a day, you’d be able to support yourself.

2.       If you make a habit of writing, you’ll get good at it automatically. You’ll also remember the nuances, flow of the story, and characters much better, which makes for a richer and publishable story.