Character Voices and Dialogue in Fiction and Non Fiction
“I felt I was in the room with those people.”
“Couldn’t you just hear the tone in his voice when he told them that?”
“The conversations in that book were so real to me.”
Instructor Jessica Litwak says, “I started out my working life as an actor, so I write and teach writing from the inside, embodying story and character with passion, specificity and joy. I work to inspire and guide my students towards the freedom of strong and clear written expression, particularly through character and dialogue. In my opinion the best and truest work happens in a nurturing and highly creative environment so I also spend time building a healthy and productive classroom environment, even over Zoom.”
In this workshop, we will explore dialogue through prompts both examining and generating material. Students will read dialogue from books, plays, and screenplays, discuss what works, how certain dialogue is effective and evocative, or how it falls short. Dialogue writing exercises will focus on embedded exposition, character development through the character’s voice (going deep into accent, tone, impediment, range of voice), and expressing the arc of a story and the shift in a character’s life through dialogue. We will also develop monologues, both inner (reflective voice) and outer (spoken to another character or to the reader).
During class, all students will receive specific and supportive feedback from the instructor and will engage with each other in an atmosphere of creative support. Optional assignments between classes will keep the experience rooted and the knowledge developing throughout the five weeks. Jessica says, “Everyone will leave the workshop with new tools, a body of work generated during class, and goals for next steps in writing dialogue for fiction and non-fiction as well as dramatic writing.”
To learn more, contact Dr. Jessica Litwak using the form below.