“WIFYR was great, as it always is! I learned to get rid of extraneous backstory and start my story right at the action. I also learned so much about dialogue from Ann Dee and Tim Wynne-Jones. One of the best exercises was reading the dialogue aloud in a monotone without the tags or beats. That exercise immediately pointed out the places where I could improve. The most important thing, though, was Ann Dee helping me discover what my character really wants. That advice will focus my manuscript more than anything else. Thanks for a wonderful and inspirational week! —
RSS for TUW
*waves to Elizabeth*
That was sooo fun in class reading our dialogues out loud in monotone that last day. Made for some funny but helpful insight.
Hi, Ilima! I know. It was so hysterical! Hope you’re doing well!
This sounds really cool. What does reading the dialogue in a monotone help you see?
Kim, it shows you immediately how good–or lame–your dialogue sounds. Reading with the tags and beats and intonations masks the true rhythm of the way your characters talk. You’ll see repetitions, or stilted-sounding dialogue, or cliches, or other dialogue no-nos in a way that you would not otherwise see. Try it, and you’ll be surprised (in a good way, I’m sure.
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What a cool exercise. I’m going to try it out on my characters.