Michael Knost Writing Workshop (Part 2)

Hey guys! Welcome to the second installment of Michael Knost's Writing Workshop. Today we will be talking about point of view and dialogue. Here goes:

POINT OF VIEW

New writers seem to be baffled on how to choose POV. Either first or third person is most popular.

first person- I did this/that
third person- He/She did this/that

Each scene should be told from one specific POV

What your character thinks, feels,etc., your reader should be feeling, etc.
Each scene can only have one viewpoint character.
You can't know what characters are feeling, thinking, doing, etc. unless you are in that characters POV.

There has to be a scene change between POV's.
When writing POV keep in mind the viewpoint does matter. There should be a reason you are using a certain characters POV.

Every scene needs to have a goal. What characters should be in what scene?
Everything you write, sentences, scenes, etc. has to help move the story along.
A word choice can be incredibly powerful.

Always do outlines, no matter if you're an outliner or a panster.



DIALOGUE

These are excellent ways to come up with dialogue for your stories.

Listen and watch people
scribble down phrases you like

The right detail can bring the story to life as much as the wrong detail can destroy it.

Using names in speech tags is okay.
Speech tags- Mike said....
Tells who said what
Only use said in speech tags (or whispered on occasion)
You can also use he said/she said


Don't put words after said that end in LY. Use stronger verbs.Use adverbs when it works for you, but not constantly.

When your character says something, they get their own paragraph.

Action tags- Bob rose from his chair. "I have no idea."

Dialogue is action.
Make sure you keep it conversational!

Dialogue is good at revealing characters too!
In dialogue we can learn a lot about how people react to things. Give readers clues to how people react or do things.
Don't shove information down the readers throat. Let them come to their own conclusions.
Dialogue should sound like real speech. It should move the story forward while bringing the characters to life. Have characters do things as well as have conversations.
(Ex. Bob rose from his chair because...)

Read what you've written out loud and try to make your dialogue sound like something a real person would say. Don't do anything to pull your readers out of the story. Keep the illusion within the story.


That's it for this evening's post. I hope everyone can enjoy these tips and find them very useful! Until next time keep your minds sharp and happy writing! Later days  my fellow writing junkies!!!