\u201cBoom.
\n\u201cDo not indent the first paragraph. Also, be sure to have an onomatopoeia to start, as well as interminable and literary jargon words to make sure that you audience knows you\u2019re smart. And if the same person is talking through more than one paragraph, don\u2019t put an end quote at the end of the paragraph until they\u2019re done.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd what about dialogue?\u201d the son asked.
\n\u201cJust randomly put in the tags,\u201d his father said, pointing to his paper. \u201cAnd make sure to say said, because whoever said that said is dead is dead wrong. Said\u2019s alive and well.\u201d
\n\u201cThat makes sense,\u201d the boy said. \u201cAnd should every different person\u2019s dialogue be a different paragraph?\u201d He looked at his father. \u201cYou know, son, some authors put two different people talking in the same paragraph and some put them in different paragraphs. It really doesn\u2019t matter as long as you stay consistent. And sometimes, if they are in different paragraphs, they don\u2019t even need a tag afterwards.\u201d
\n\u201cDoesn\u2019t that get confusing?\u201d
\n\u201cYes! But it keeps the reader on their toes. Who\u2019s talking now? Who isn\u2019t? Who knows!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd can I talk to the reader?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course you can! Here, get this down, write it,\u201d the father said. He stood up straight and made himself look strong, muscular. \u201c\u2018Hello, reader! \u2018Tis I, the author, and I would like you to know that this is a happy story, no matter how you look at it. The boy will be happy, the father will be happy, and so everyone is happy!\u2019\u201d
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t just say the ending, can you, dad?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course you can. I just said it. It\u2019s call foreshadowing, and it\u2019s a wonderful thing, son.\u201d
\n\u201cBut how do we know that everyone will be happy in the end? I don\u2019t even have a story yet!\u201d
\nThe boy\u2019s father looked suddenly concerned. \u201cNo story?\u201d His face grew into a smile. \u201cI\u2019m just kidding, son! Of course there\u2019s no story! There never is a story!\u201d
\n\u201cNever a story? But there are books! Thousands of them!\u201d
\n\u201cYes, but every single one is just like the last. Everything has already been written that needs to be written.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd right now, don\u2019t you think this is a lot of dialogue?\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as too much dialogue.\u201d
\n\u201cAre you sure?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course!\u201d
\n\u201cAre you positive?\u201d
\n\u201cYou know it.\u201d
\n\u201cAre you absolutely positive?\u201d
\n\u201cMore positive than a proton. Which brings me to my next point: metaphors!\u201d
\n\u201cLike words that you use to get your point across in a different way?\u201d
\n\u201cYou got it! Add some, go ahead, add them anywhere.\u201d
\n\u201cAnywhere? Anywhere on this blank canvas of a page that I have yet to conceive of an idea for?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, son, anywhere.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2018He.. walked.. like.. a.. person.. who.. does not.. know.. how.. to.. walk.\u2019\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re a natural!\u201d
\n\u201cOk, so I\u2019ve got an onomatopoeia. I\u2019ve got some extraneous words, jargon, a plot that\u2019s been done before, dialogue, and metaphorical language. Is that it?\u201d
\n\u201cHave you got yourself a tale worth telling?\u201d
\n\u201cI think so, dad! Even though everything\u2019s been written already.\u201d
\n\u201cThen by George, you\u2019ve got it! But one last thing, son.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat is it, dad?\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got to keep the reader on their toes. Wanting more, expecting more.\u201d
\n\u201cI think I\u2019ve done that, dad. They have no idea what\u2019s coming.\u201d
\n\u201cDo you know a great way to do that, besides what you\u2019ve already got?\u201d
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s that, dad?\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t use any names. No names.\u201d
\n\u201cNo names? How will the reader identify who\u2019s talking? Who\u2019s doing anything?\u201d
\n\u201cThey won\u2019t! And as long as you stay vague enough, they will think the story is about them. That\u2019s the real goal, son. Make the reader feel special.\u201d
\n\u201cI think I\u2019ve got it, dad.\u201d
\n\u201cHave you?\u201d
\n\u201cYeah. I did it.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat have you got, then?\u201d
\n\u201cThis conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cBoom. \u201cDo not indent the first paragraph. Also, be sure to have an onomatopoeia to start, as well as interminable and literary jargon words to make sure that you audience knows you\u2019re smart. And if the same person is talking through more than one paragraph, don\u2019t put an end quote at the end of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1047"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1048,"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047\/revisions\/1048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}