Dialogue Brings Characters to Life

by Jean Henry Mead

I enjoy writing dialogue because it’s an excellent way to bring fictional characters to life. I began my writing career as a news reporter and photojournalist, so dialogue was not something I learned to write. Fortunately, I have an ear for dialects and speech patterns, and journalism taught me brevity. So my characters rarely ramble or veer off topic.

I learned the secrets of good dialogue from Sol Stein, who said screenwriting courses are a great way to learn to write con...