When editors and critiquers first started reading through my precious manuscripts, I got a lot of “Show, don’t tell,” scrawled across my pages in blood-red ink. And of course, I thought, What the h@#l. What does “Show don’t tell” mean? No one explained it precisely, they all expected me to glean the meaning from the insufficient information they didn’t bother to offer me.
When it comes to writing dialogue I have noticed that many new writers especially get hung up. Their dialogue tends to sound stilted and dry and totally unrealistic.
One of the things I love about the writing journey that I’m on is that there are so many others on it too, all at different ages and stages.
The best snappy dialogue that comes to my mind is from the movies of the 30’s and 40’s, think Kathryn Hepburn, and Cary Grant. These are the two actors who I think of as the King and Queen of snappy dialogue.
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