The verbal exchanges our hero has with other characters is
usually where a story comes alive. Great dialog infuses characters
with life as little else does, and poor dialog reduces them
to caricatures. As with other aspects of writing, there's
a craft to dialog that can be learned and can take talent
to the next level.
This workshop is highly interactive with time provided for
new skills to be put to work. Ideas covered include:
* The basics, punctuation and format.
* Making your character's dialog personal
* Using dialog to reveal ... and hide ... character
* Dialog as it propels a plot forward
* Finding the subtext
* Something important to say ... or simple chitchat
Sharon Mignerey is:
* Romance and Romantic Suspense Author
* Instructor and Frequent Workshop Speaker
* 2003 Colorado Romance Writers' Writer of the Year
From her website bio:
Writing a biography for characters in one of my books is much
easier than writing one for myself. With my characters, I
can arbitrarily decide what their history is and adjust it
for a story's impact, which means they usually have had problems
to overcome. In truth, my life has been so blessed, which
means it would make for boring fiction.
I live in Colorado, and in fact, have lived here for all but
four years of my life. I grew up in the four corners area
and now reside in the Denver area with my husband. All the
press is true—it's a great place to live. We have a cabin
in the mountains that we visit as often as we can, and for
those times when we cannot, we have a great retreat in our
backyard complete with a 1500 gallon pond.
I find that gardening is a wonderful metaphor for writing
and vice versa. Both begin with a basic plan that almost instantly
undergoes ongoing revision. Both have to be nurtured. Both
offer unexpected beauty and surprises. Both have to be weeded.
I always tell myself that I hate weeding, but in actual fact,
some of my best ideas have come to me while weeding. This
is my own version of that "chop wood, haul water"
axiom to find clarity and solutions to problems.
For more information, please visit Sharon's website at www.sharonmignerey.com.
