Wordworking: Q is for Dialogue

Today's title is in honor of

It's a favorite read at the Hall House.
Q is for Duck as Q is for Dialogue.
Ducks quack and for us to have dialogue, we need (double) quotation marks.

As my five-year-old understands, if there are quotations, then somebody is talking. She also knows that if the word before the quotation mark is said, it is followed by a comma.

Julia said, "Quack."

But what if the word isn't said? Then what happens?

I have a trusty notebook given to my be the incredible Ilima K Todd. It's battered and worn and my kiddos have pulled out a few pages. It's a little like Kristin Cashore's fireproof safes full of her notebooks.

One page of my notebook is devoted to dialogue.
It looks like this:

And yes, although it is hard to tell in my writing, the comma and period (full stop) are inside the quotation marks:) 

I wrote it last summer. While I know these by heart now, I still turn to this page from time to time and smile.
Do you have notes like this that keep dialogue (or something else) straight in your mind so you don't have to google it every time?

Remember:
Said is the tag of choice. No need to scream, cry, berate, yell, explain, etc.

If you smile, laugh, grimace, make a face, stick out your tongue, etc. you cannot do them as you speak, so instead of a comma, use a period.

Wrong: I smiled, "You are the sexiest man this side of that cactus."
Right:   I smiled. "You are the sexiest man this side of that cactus."

Tim Wynn-Jones is the master of dialogue. I was lucky enough to be in his class during WIFYR last summer.

• Dialogue REVEALS character. If it's not doing that, it isn't doing it's job. 
• Dialogue is not the time to tell backstory. (two best friends discussing something they both know)
• In dialogue, no hitting the pause button, it's like pausing a movie to explain a scene to someone who hasn't seen the movie. 
• Beats should not be an arbitrary observation: it is part of the conversation. (think of the beat as a third character in your dialogue)
• Dialogue can't be too witty--the joke can't be from the author, but from the character. 
• Even funny dialogue must further the story
• Reflection must happen in real time. Ex: While Tim gets his coat Rebecca can think about their argument. If only three seconds pass in "real time" only three words can pass on the page.

Check out Tim's Eleven Things You Need to Know (5 thru 9 are all about dialogue)

Happy CP News and Giveaway Winner

First a shout out for my CP Kathryn Purdie now agented by Weronika Jankzuk, the first agent she pitched to. This girl didn't have to send out a single query-though she wrote a darn good one. If you haven't already go over and give her a HUGE congratulations. She shares her experience HERE. If you're wondering if conferences are worth it-she'll answer with a resounding yes. If you  want to learn more aobut her amazing MS, here is the song she composed for her MC.


As some of you know I had my first giveaway last week. Thanks to all who entered. I think I'll wait until I have 100 followers to do my next one:) The winner was choosen by my highly scientific-write initials and numbers for each entry on strips of paper and let my 6-year-old pick.

Drum Roll Please:

The winner of Tim Wynn-Jones YA thriller, Blink and Caution, is Ilima Todd!! Look for an email from me and a package soon.

I'm leaving you with a video of WIFYR (there's still time to register) starring the lovely Kathryn Purdie and me! Notice how the professional actor is totally calm in front of the camera and I'm the exact opposite. Act natural, the lady said. Yeah, like that's possible with you're pointing that lens at me.

                                            Dates are off, it's the 18th through the 22nd.


BTW: I've been given 3 blogger awards over the past two weeks. If you'd like to be nominated in my next post let me know.

My 1st Giveaway AND WIFYR

When I began researching writer's conferences (Feb. '11) I stumbled upon Writers and Illustrators for Young Readers and was blown away by the incredible faculty and the week long small class (read 13 or less) writer workshops.  Even  though I live in S. CA it was well worth the extra travel expense to attend. (You can read about my experience last year here.)

In fact, it was so worth my while that I'm going again. This year I'm returning for the Middle Grade class with Tim Wynn-Jones. Now while I have to confess that the beard scares me (more on that on another post) I can't wait for his feedback. The MG class was the 2nd to fill up after Fantasy (with Matt Kirby). Don't worry if you haven't signed up yet, there's still some awesome classes available, but they're filling up fast, so don't twiddle those thumbs either:) Click here to register.

From the WIFYR website:

Tim Wynne-Jones has written thirty-two books including novels, picture books and three collections of short stories. (He's won a gazillion awards click here) He teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College and lives on 76 acres of land near Perth, Ontario. He has three children, all grown up now and living hither  and yon.
I'm reading his newest novel, a YA Thriller, Blink and Caution. And I'm giving away a copy to one of my followers. (Giveaway will close 5/15/2012 at midnight PST) How do you enter? So glad you asked. Required: 1. Follow my blog 2. Comment and tell me that you did (1 pt) Optional: 3. Follow me on Twitter @robinhallwrites (1 pt) 4. tweet or blog about this giveaway (1 pt for each) I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, May 16th Hope to see you at WIFYR!