Jan's Master Class--DIALOGUE, part 2

[glorybee]

In addition to age, dialogue should also reflect your speaker’s education, social status, ethnicity, and location in place and time.

That's exactly what we talked about last week at my writer's critique. It's especially hard when one is writing a story that takes place in a different part of the world; you have to look into how they relate to one another, since other parts of the world are considerably more formal than we are (example: Japanese language is very formal, with addressing people based on age and status, as well as generally being quite reserved).

I absolutely love writing dialogue--my writer's group has told me that my writing is a bit too dialogue-driven at times. BUT they also have said that's my strongest point in writing (go figure ).

I suppose my last challenge entry (many, many moons ago, lol) is my best example of dialogue.

Trepidation's Shadow

Dara, since dialogue is your strong point (and it REALLY is!), and you love it so much--how about some advice? Do you have anything to add to what I posted?

[glorybee]

Cori--you're awesome! I'll be sending you half of my paycheck for this week's class.

(Of course, we all know what half of zero is...)

Seriously--what a lovely allegory, and exactly right.

The illustration that I thought of is from my teensy tiny church. We have two pianists--one of them (me) who can read music, and can play what's on the page. But I have very little (read: none at all) ability to improvise, flourish, play by ear.

The other--Bob--reads music hardly at all. But give him a melody line, and he can play a gorgeous accompaniment, can modulate into other keys, and can follow the other singers' changes of mood.

Bob is an artist, and I am (somewhat) skilled. And there are times when each of us has said to the other, "I wish I could do what you can do."

Here it comes, though...sometimes, when I'm alone at the piano, I get very, very brave and I try something new--I free myself from those little notes on the page and let my right hand embellish the melody an octave higher. Or I change the bass chords to a running arpeggio.

I'm no Bob--but I'm branching out.