4-Week: Dialogue—Saying the Unsayable

It’s one of the most dramatic moments in any narrative: when a character finally gives voice to their deepest fears and desires. But that’s going to require dialogue – and writing dialogue is hard! What separates good dialogue from bad? What material should go into dialogue and what should be left to your narrator? And perhaps most importantly, how do you get your characters to sound like real human beings? This course will look to the example of writers like Patricia Highsmith, Alice Munro, and Ernest Hemingway and draw inspiration from the worlds of theater and film. Sessions will mix discussion, lecture, and in-class writing exercises.