Sweet Talk: The Joy of Writing Dialogue

“Whether you write fiction, memoir or nonfiction, the same rule applies: when your dialogue clicks, your story springs to life,” says instructor Kerry Muir. “Stories like Hemingway’s 'Hills Like White Elephants' and Sam Shepard’s 'Opuestos' contain almost nothing but dialogue and yet still reveal character, theme, relationship, conflict and even metaphor. The key is subtext—letting your characters say one thing, yet mean quite another!”

In this fun and fast-paced daylong workshop, participants will work through a series of exercises to tap into characters’ distinct voices, build suspense and conflict, practice the art of the rant, insert silences that speak volumes, and more. We’ll look at excerpts by some masters of modern dialogue such as David Mamet, Victor LaValle, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Quentin Tarantino, and Toni Morrison. Come prepared to write!