12 Techniques to Improve Your Dialogue (Kristie Smeltzer)

This class will meet online via Zoom for 4 sessions on Tuesdays, February 3 through February 24 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM.

Description:

Dialogue is the multitool of creative writing. It can drive plot, develop characters, and reveal information. We often hear that we need to cultivate our ear for dialogue but sometimes what we really need are practical methods for how to improve our skills. If that resonates, join us to learn twelve specific dialogue techniques you can add into your writing practice right away. This four-week Zoom class will cover three dialogue techniques per class session, and participants will apply them to their work in real time. Each session will have a theme, such as “Revealing Information.” We’ll discuss specific techniques that reveal information in dynamic and compelling ways—that sidestep the dreaded infodump. Then participants will revise previously drafted work or write new conversations to practice implementing the skills. 

This class is a good fit for fiction and creative nonfiction writers. Some techniques will lend themselves more easily to writing fiction due to the greater creative license available to those writing purely fictional people/events. 

About the Instructor:

Kristie Smeltzer's fiction has been published by Scribes*MICRO*Fiction, MonkeyBicycle, Atticus Review, and others. She is currently working on several novels. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of Central Florida. Kristie has taught at WriterHouse since 2016, and her students have gone on to publish their work in literary magazines, with small presses, and through large publishing houses. She also helps others tell their stories as a developmental editor and writing coach. Learn more at www.kristiesmeltzer.com.