Today we welcome Cathie Linz to class.  Creating dialogue has always been my favorite part of the writing process.  I love when characters lose their cool and try to talk their way out of it.  I love when two buddies trash-talk each other and burst out laughing.  That, for me, is the good life.  Cathie is going to give us some great tips on making that dialogue jump off the page. 

Cathie is the award-winning, bestselling author of over fifty contemporary romances published worldwide in nearly twenty languages. Her previous book, Big Girls Don’t Cry, was recently chosen by Booklist as one of the Top Ten Romances of the Year.  Cathie’s newest book, Smart Girls Think Twice, is receiving wonderful reviews–Library Journal says, “With her typical sense of humor, Linz has given readers another joyful, laughter-filled story to savor.”   Booklist also gave it a highly coveted starred review.

 Here’s Cathie!

 I write a character-driven book.  I’ve often said that if I could only teach my characters how to type, I’d be in great shape.  When the writing is going well, it’s as if I’m taking dictation, trying to keep up with what my characters are saying. And they tend to talk a lot.

 So let’s look at how you as a writer can use what your characters are saying to let the reader know more about them.  That’s not to suggest that your characters give their life story in dialogue a mile long.  But the way people communicate tells you a lot about them.

The first differentiation I make is between men and women.  They communicate differently and they certainly speak differently.  I suggest reading You Just Don’t Understand by Deborah Tannen, which addresses the differences.  She’s not a writer, she’s a sociologist (I believe) who studies the way we communicate.  I highly recommend this book to all writers.

So the first thing you need to be aware of is the difference in the way your hero and your heroine converse. I’ve heard editors say that a common mistake they find are heroes who speak like women and don’t make believable characters.  Now some of you may be saying “My husband just grunts. He doesn’t talk. Is that how we’re supposed to write our dialogue?”  No, you are writing fiction so you want it to be realistic but not boring.  Listen to dialogue on some of your favorite shows or rent DVD’s like Gilmore Girls (which is very dialogue heavy and uses it to show characterization very well).  Luke on Gilmore Girls doesn’t talk much and he certainly doesn’t speak the same way the female characters do.

Note that men speak to men differently than they speak to a woman.  The same goes for women talking to their female friends.  Again, be aware of the differences.  Janet Evanovitch does a great job as a writer of using dialogue to paint her characters.  So do Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jayne Ann Krentz.

The next group for separating characters is generational.  Each generation has it’s own touchstones. For example, the Baby Boomers have their own music (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones).  Someone who became a teenager in the 50′s instead of the 60′s has an entirely different set of touchstones.  Our 28-year-old or 30-year-old heroines have their own links – to cell phones and Blackberries, to iPods and Coldplay.  If you have her using phrases like “Jeepers” you need to explain why.  Because it wouldn’t normally be a phrase intrinsic to her age group.

Writing an 80-year-old’s dialogue is very different from writing a 60-year-old’s.  Baby boomers are in their sixties now.

When I run into a stumbling block, I’ll often have a “story conference” with my characters and ask them what’s wrong.  I’ve had the pizza delivery guy character ask what his motivation was (to deliver the pizza and leave <g>). I’ve had heroine’s complain the hero gets all the good lines and vice versa.  You can try this story conferencing and see if it works for you.

Okay, you say, but I’m not writing contemporaries.  I’m writing historicals.  Well, the same would be true regarding male and female means of verbal communication.  And story conferencing. 

Even after writing over 55 books I still am surprised by what my characters say and do.  For example, I wasn’t expecting Oliver to show up in my last book Smart Girls Think Twice (still available).  He’s a great secondary character.  I can say that without blushing because it feels like I’m complimenting Oliver not bragging as an author. He said some wonderful lines that cracked me up. And that’s one of the joys for me as an author.  To keep writing in order to find out what’s going to happen next, what’s going to be said next.

I hope you find some of these tips useful in your writing, “Now get back to work,” I hear Megan, the heroine of my new book, telling me. I’d better obey.

How about you?  Do you hear your characters’ dialogue?

Thank you to Cathie for visiting with us today.   If you do hear your characters’ dialogue, please let us know by leaving a comment.  We’d love to hear from you.  If you are anything like me, those characters start chatting away at about three in the morning when you’re trying to sleep.

To learn more about Cathie Linz, please visit http://www.cathielinz.com/.  Join us on Monday when Kelsey will interview Christie Ridgway on the state of contemporary romance.

Please help me welcome national bestselling author, Denise Swanson, to Romance University. For the past two years, I’ve worked with Denise on the board of our local RWA chapter. She’s been a tremendous mentor to me, plus she’s great fun. Denise’s eleventh book, Murder of a Royal Pain, in the highly successful Scumble River mystery series is in now stores. These books, featuring school psychologist Skye Denison, are a great mix of mystery, humor and romance.

Today, I’ve asked Denise to share her “fashionable” process of revising her manuscript before she ships it off to her agent and editor. Denise will pop in a few times during the day to answer questions.

Denise, the floor’s yours…

There are two kinds of revisions. To me, one feels like accessorizing an outfit, and the other feels like getting a mammogram. I’m going to discuss the first one. The one that occurs after I’ve written my first draft. I have the basic black dress-a plot, characters, a setting, and most important of all, a solution to the mystery. Now I get to choose shoes and a matching purse-description, just the right earrings and necklace-the clues, and then something wild, something that gives the outfit oomph-the humor.

After those items are added, I look the outfit over, making sure all the zippers are fastened, hair and makeup is perfect, and there’s no lint, tears, or stains.

Here is where I check Point of View (POV). Have I been consistent in my choice of first person, third person, or multiple?

A. First person – “I” perspective. Is your “I” character strong enough, interesting enough, and someone with whom your readers will want to spend hundreds of pages?

B. Third person – you can only write about what your viewpoint character knows, hears, or sees.

C. Multiple POV – each “voice” must be unique. Stay in one character’s head for the entire length of scene.

Have I shown rather than telling?

I check my use of narrative summaries, both length and frequency. Are there long passages where nothing is happening, where I’m telling my readers things I could be showing her rather than involving her in an actual scene? I examine my characters. Have I described them or have I let their actions, words, and choices speak for them?

Dialogue is next.

I read it out loud or if possible get someone to read it to me. How often have I used an -ly adverb as a part of a dialogue tag? I try to use it very sparingly. Are there places I can get rid of speaker attributions entirely? All dialogue tags do not have to come in the beginning or ending of the sentence, have I put some in the middle for a smoother read? Have I varied the way I refer to a character? For example the same character could be referred to as Mary, her sister, the blonde, etc. Have I used too many interior monologues?

Pacing is vital.

I check for long paragraphs, too little white space, and scenes that don’t advance the story. Also, am I repeating myself? Do I have more than one scene that accomplishes the same thing? Echoing doesn’t just occur at the Grand Canyon-I make sure I’m not overusing words and phrases, especially at the beginning of paragraphs.

Neatness Counts.

I’m a terrible speller and don’t feel confident about my grammar so I have someone else read my manuscript for those kinds of problems-librarians and English teachers are excellent copy editors. I learned the hard way not to rely on spell or grammar check.

Once my outfit has been accessorized and passed inspection, I send it to my editor and agent. This is when the second kind of revision, the one that feels like a mammogram occurs. I know I need it, but it’s a painful procedure and a huge relief when I receive the news I’ve passed. I’d say more, but that’s another blog.

Denise Swanson is the nationally bestselling author of the Scumble River mystery series. She writes from her personal experiences as a school psychologist and small town resident. Her plots are inspired by incidents that occur in her own life. Her books have been nominated for the Agatha, Mary Higgins Clark, RT, and Daphne du Maurier Awards. Her current book, Murder of a Royal Pain, debuted number four on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list and number five on the Bookscan bestseller list, remaining on both lists for several weeks. Denise lives in Illinois with her husband, classical music composer, David Stybr, and her black cat, Boomerang.   www.DeniseSwanson.com

 Thank you, Denise, for sharing your tips on revisions!

Please join Kelsey on Anatomy of the Male Mind day to learn more about A Young Man’s Fancy. You’re sure to enjoy stepping into the mind of a 21 year old mechanical and petroleum engineering student.

So, whether you’re a New York Times bestselling author or a greenling who’s never allowed another living soul to read your material, stop by RU on Fridays as we reveal writing secrets from the pros.

We have a great “classroom” schedule for the upcoming weeks. Here are some of the fabulous topics you can expect from our visiting professors (guest bloggers) on Fridays.

May 22
Red Sage Managing Editor Theresa Stevens
Got Backstory? What Do You Do With It?

May 29
Sourcebooks Author Loucinda McGary
Writing the Pitch

June 5
RITA® Award Winning Author Alicia Rasley
Mastering POV

RU’s official launch date is next Monday, May 18. Stop by to chat with Brenda Novak, who will head the class with details about her road to becoming a New York Times bestselling author. In addition, she’ll give us the latest on her 5th Annual Online Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research. Brenda’s giving away a $50 gift certificate and a tote full of goodies. Leave a comment and your name will be entered in the drawing.

WAIT! We have more good news.

Would you like to win a nifty new iPod Nano? Leave a comment during May 18 – 22 and your name will be entered in a separate drawing. Courtesy of RU’s faculty members (Adrienne Giordano, Kelsey Browning and Tracey Devlyn).

Romance University
A place where friends are made and dreams are realized