Twenty checks of your dialogue might seem like a lot, but going through this list ensures your dialogue accomplishes the intended purpose.
Now, your assignment is to test and potentially revise your story, share a section of dialogue it includes, and give us your checklist experience.
I promise, using this checklist will improve your dialogue writing skills.
I was not sure where to pose this question, so I’m putting it here in hopes Patricia or someone will comment. I’ve extracted the italicized paragraphs below from an article. The first sentence has a, she said, tagline, but no quotation marks. The second sentence has quotation marks with no tagline. The third sentence is an example of quotes inside a quotation. I think I understand the third sentence’s double and single quotation marks. My questions: Are there rules of when to use a tagline without quotes, and when to use quotes without a tagline? Could different punctuation have made… Read more »
Dorothy’s Tour
“I’ll drive to the luncheon.” That was eighty-five year old
Dorothy, offering to chauffeur a group of ladies to an event
to which our group had been invited. This event was some
twenty-five miles away. Ever generous, this time, she had an
ulterior motive.
“No, Dorothy, why don’t you let me drive?” I offered.