August 5, 2023 by Carol Brennan King

Happy August, students or readers or writers!

I don’t know about you writers, but I have been writing (editing to be counted as writing) like mad…maybe 20 hours a week recently. Personal goal – have book final edited and pitch ready to go August 20 or 26. It depends on whether I can make the 20^th.

However, some really great workshops or classes have popped up in my email. Some are harder to resist than others. Like the one yesterday: Dialogue Doctor Webinar: 3, then 4, Things You Can Do to Improve Your Dialogue taught by Jeff Elkins.

When I saw the title, at first I thought dialogue is not a problem for me, so should I waste valuable rewriting time or not (that editing I am doing) ? I am so glad I did. This was probably one of the most multi-purpose and best workshops I have taken in a while.

Yes, he talked about dialogue, but man, I learned so much more than what you think of when you think of dialogue.

The name of his presentation was Dialogue Doctor Webinar: 3, no 4 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Dialogue. The 3 no 4 part of the title of his presentation was because he thought of another element even as he was prepping that day to teach.

Now, what do you think about when you are considering a character’s voice, or the way he sounds when you write him ‘living” for want of a better word?

Do you consider the character’s genetics? Yes – genetics. Or her formative moments? Or personality? Those things that influence how a person presents him or herself. OK, if a person’s last name is Langinello, how do you think they use their hands when they are speaking?

Considering personality, because it is expressed through or shown by the way we use our body: Elkins suggests choosing 3 or 4 character adjectives to describe how that person expresses himself, like shy, for instance. You could show that by writing your character into the corner of the room while everyone else is huddled around the buffet, talking and picking over the fancy cakes. Note: the last part of that sentence even gives you an idea of setting and the people who live in that setting.

I always suggested my students keep a section of their notebook or a computer file on each primary character: height, weight – when the story takes place. How about education, hobbies, and job?

Well, Jeff has a great section on this. And when you are done, you can actually hear your characters talk – maybe to you.

If you want to sample what Jeff Elkins can teach you that will make you a waaaay better writer, check out his website at https://dialoguedoctor.com .

Then head out to his podcasts at https://dialoguedoctor.com/the-podcast/ or check out his youtube channel at

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj2zEsB5pvJgcKjtPQijheQ starting with episode 136 or 134 – dipping into Back to the Future.

Well, that is more than enough for today because you have a place to go where you will find tons more helpful info.

Happy writing and learning!