The values of well-crafted dialogue in your memoir

Dialogue, written well, can accomplish your most important goals:

• It can bring readers into your stories,
• acquaint them with your memoir’s key characters,
• ramp up readers’ emotions,
• add pizzazz—or grief or terror,
• keep up your story’s momentum,
• share information readers need to know,
• and entice them to keep reading.

Read more at SM 101’s blog post from 2014, Tips for using dialogue in your memoir. 

Dialogue can convey key characters’ emotions and distinct (perhaps conflicting) goals. It can reveal the dynamics between those in a discussion and convey what each values.

Add significant body language to dialogue and you will enhance your story’s message, bring main characters to life, and increase readers’ comprehension and enjoyment of your story.

Read more at SM 101’s post about dialogue from 2014—don’t miss this good stuff!

Also review SM 101’s more recent posts on using dialogue because good dialogue is essential in your memoir:

Are you using dialogue correctly in your memoir? 

Good dialogue is essential in your memoir 

Additional tips onusing dialogue

Create dialogue thatsounds natural  

After you've polished your dialogue, 

set it aside for a week or so. 

Then read it aloud. 

Does it sound natural? 

If not, continue polishing.