Talking out loud: A guide to writing sparkling dialogue for your characters (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780955988561)

Your characters are talking. Are readers listening?

Nothing kills a promising story faster than wooden dialogue that sounds like it was written by a robot having a bad day. Readers can forgive plot holes, overlook setting mistakes, even tolerate the occasional typo-but make your characters sound fake, and they'll close your book faster than you can say "As you know, Bob..."

"Talking Out Loud" is the dialogue guide that actually gets it.

Forget dusty academic theory and pretentious literary examples. This isn't your college creative writing class-it's a practical, entertaining roadmap to making your characters sound like real people having real conversations. The kind of dialogue that makes readers forget they're reading and start eavesdropping instead.

Inside, you'll discover:

• Why dialogue tags are often your enemy (and when they're your best friend)
• The art of sneaking exposition into conversation without readers noticing
• How to use repetition to create rhythm, not tedium
• The secret to giving each character a voice so distinct you could identify them blindfolded
• Comedy gold vs. comedy graveyard-what makes dialogue funny (and what kills the joke)
• Professional formatting tricks that make your manuscript look like it belongs on shelves

Written by Mo Fanning, award-winning author whose characters have been praised for their "crisp, brisk, and incisive" dialogue, this guide transforms good dialogue into diamonds. No fluff, no filler-just the techniques that turn conversations into page-turners.

Your readers talk every day. Make sure your characters sound like they do too.

Stop writing dialogue. Start writing conversations.