Writing dialogue can be so much fun—and so much work. When it’s done correctly, it can individualize your characters and add a delightful layer to your stories. When it’s done incorrectly . . . well, let’s not go there. Dialogue should sound as if the reader is actually listening to real people having real conversations. People speak in partial sentences and contractions. They break all the rules of proper grammar and sentence structure. They flavor their speech with regional dialects, acronyms, foreign words, and their own personal idioms. My tips for writing incredible dialogue will help you master the art of writing believable, character-establishing dialogue that will take your story to the next level.
BIOGRAPHY
Editor – Jenny Margotta is an author and professional editor. As an author her portfolio includes technical articles and in-house publications written during her years in the corporate world, as well as opinion pieces, award-winning short stories, two fantasy-adventure novels, and a poignant novel about the emotional journey of a woman suffering the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. As a professional editor, Jenny has edited over 140 full-length books and numerous short stories in a wide variety of genres. She has also formatted over 140 books and has designed more than 50 book covers. She freelances for a Stories to Tell Books, a small publishing house on the East Coast, and works closely with the High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club, as well as various independent authors across the country. She assists writers through every step of the writing process from a basic idea to putting words on a page to holding a printed book in their hands.
Public Speaker – Jenny Margotta began performing in public at the age of three. Over the years she has both acted and directed in several stage productions. She has sung in numerous choirs and ensembles, toured Europe with a musical group, and for many organizations and in clubs, both on her own and with instrumental backup. She freely admits she seldom passes up an opportunity to take center stage and rarely if ever needs a microphone. She is articulate, well-spoken, and knows how to get a laugh—or a tear—from an audience. She has given presentations to Seniors With Inquiring Minds, California Retired Teachers, the Hesperia Public Library, the Wrightwood Historical Museum, the Mojave River Valley Museum, Barstow Senior Citizens Center, the Ridgecrest Branch of the California Writers Club, numerous presentations for her own High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club, and has taught classes in various writing and editing techniques at the Federal Correctional Center and, through the Dorothy C. Blakely Memoir Project at the Academy for Academic Excellence in Apple Valley, California, and University Preparatory High School in Victorville, California. As an author her portfolio includes technical articles and in-house publications for the corporate world, opinion pieces, award-winning short stories, two fantasy-adventure novels, and a poignant novel about the emotional journey of a woman suffering the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. She is currently working on her next novel, Paisan, a World War II-era novel, an excerpt of which has already won an award. Her editing credits to date include editing over 140 full-length books, formatting over 100 books, and designing more than 50 book covers. She is a freelance editor for Stories To Tell Books, a small publishing house on the East Coast, works closely with authors in the High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club, and independent authors across the country.
Ms. Margotta can be contacted at jennymargotta@mail.com.
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