Say it Right: How to Write Good Dialogue • Reedsy

📚 Overview

Dialogue is an effective storytelling device for making your characters come alive on the page and driving plot exposition. But dialogue is notoriously difficult to get right. In this two-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to write dialogue that serves your story and reflects how people actually talk.

By the end of this two-part workshop, taught by editors Becky Wallace and Kim Smith, you’ll understand how to use dialogue strategically in your writing, how to format it correctly, and how to make your characters talk like real people.

The workshop includes an opportunity to get live feedback on a short dialogue excerpt. Register for instructions on how to submit your example for consideration.

🎓 What You’ll Learn

How to use dialogue for character and plot development

Techniques for avoiding wooden and stiff dialogue

The difference between a dialogue tag and an action beat

Correct uses of punctuation and quotation marks in dialogue

Schedule

EVENT

5pm - 5:55pm EDT

Beyond Small Talk: Writing Dialogue That Drives Plot and Character

Dialogue is a key storytelling tool that every writer must learn to master. In this session, editor Becky Wallace will show you how to use dialogue to reveal your characters’ personalities and drive your plot forward. You'll also learn how to seamlessly weave in setting and backstory to avoid info dumping, common mistakes that make your dialogue sound fake, and quick tips for revising your dialogue. As part of this session, Becky will live edit dialogue examples submitted by viewers.

EVENT

6:05pm - 7pm EDT

The Mechanics of Good Dialogue: Mastering Punctuation and Dialogue Tags

Knowing how to punctuate dialogue is essential knowledge for writers. Dialogue punctuation is less about rules and more about established conventions. When do you use a comma or a full stop? What is the difference between a dialogue tag and an action beat, and does it matter? And why (oh, why) do high school English teachers tell you not to use “said”? In this session you’ll learn the answers to these questions — and how to understand and incorporate dialogue conventions into your skill set as a writer.

Speakers

Becky Wallace

Editor

Becky Wallace is an award-winning editor with over a decade of experience working with traditionally published authors. She specializes in Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction across all genres, though she has a special place in her heart for fantasy and contemporary stories. She offers editorial assessments, developmental editing, and copyediting support through Reedsy. She’s also a published author of four young adult novels with Simon & Schuster, including the award-winning The Storyspinner.

Kim Smith

Editor

Kim Smith is an editor with over 25 years’ experience in publishing related fields. Semi-retired, she now freelances as a line/copy editor. She specialises in fiction, and has found her niche in the sci-fi, fantasy, crime, chick lit, and contemporary fiction genres. She also offers editorial assessments that she describes as “a light developmental edit/beta read on steroids.” These are a guide to a final self-edit by the author, and it was through doing these that she often found herself giving authors lessons in punctuating dialogue. You can find her on Reedsy.