PageKraft:::WriteTrue + Click:: No.16: Writing Conversation
One way to tell the story of a page is to write actual conversation. We know that when the mind reads conversation in print it is responds as though the talk were real. That’s why these pages seems so immediate and so engaging. It’s like you are actually IN conversation.
There are lots of approaches to the method. And it is important to remember that our one or two page format is tight and limited. You can’t cover an in-depth subject but you can sometimes plant the questions or curiosities which will lead to an ongoing conversation in the mind of your reader. When you plan a page around conversation, think carefully about the essentials… the tone and the content you want to convey. Don’t try to repeat every word which was said. Just kraft the words to be truthful to the speaker and tight enough for the page.
I drew my first two examples of this style from the Creative Team Gallery.
Myra is a master a reporting her son Jake’s insightful considerations of life and it’s ultimate meaning. Her method is virtual story telling at it’s finest. You can hear her voice, her son’s voice and the sweet harmony between them. This recent page is a good example of her style.
Another way of using conversation in a page to great effect is what Cassie did here. She writes this page a dialogue between herself and her son. By addressing him directly from the page and then asking him a question she immediately engages the reader in an overheard chat about the nature of her son. It’s a vivid way to make the page come to life. And if you know the Mom, there is her typical tongue-in-cheek, ironic humor here, too!
Finally, here’s another way to use dialogue … a little chat I had with myself, or with my own inner voices, to be precise. Just a record of my day, my current state of inner landscape but told as a conversation within. Sometimes I pretend I am my own psychologist and sometimes, it works!!
Think about how you can use dialogue to tell you story and give it a try.
Please share your pages with this technique in our PageKraft Gallery so that we can all learn from you and enjoy your work.
