Dialogue and Structure
When writing a short story, the most important part is including dialogue. This is how you show the characters talking to one another.
We have practiced the art of writing dialogue over the course of reading this novel. To help you brush up on it, please review this website on dialogue tags.
In your short story, dialogue should do three things:
1. Reveal characters' relationships to one another.
2. Move the story forward.
3. Increase the tension.
Structure of dialogue
1. It should include indents and quotation marks in the appropriate places.
2. Punctuation goes inside of the quotation marks.
3. Each new line of dialogue should be a new paragraph.
Example of dialogue!
"How much are you getting paid for babysitting?" Casey asked, with curiosity in her voice.
Kristen looked up from her phone and rolled her eyes. "Not enough, that's for sure!"
Casey couldn't help but start to chuckle at the thought of Kristen taking care of a goldfish, let alone children. "Just make sure to keep a smile on your face. We're saving up for our trip to Disneyland, remember?"
"Easier said than done," Kristen replied.
*You have seen dialogue in every novel and short story you have read, including The Hunger Games. If you get lost or puzzled, open up your book and look for how the author uses dialogue!
