Of all forms of creative writing, playwriting depends the most on dialogue. Without the advantages of prose narration, camera movements, close-ups, film editing, or special effects, a stage play’s power often comes down to two core elements: the characters and the words they say. Memorable one-liners, emotional exchanges, and powerful monologues can make your play shine and keep an audience engaged, whether you’re writing an intense drama or a hilarious comedy.

And best of all, the skills for writing dialogue in plays can be applied to many other forms of creative writing. So, how can you start honing those skills?

Playwright, screenwriter, and fiction writer Kuros Charney will cover techniques for writing dialogue that’s both thrilling and realistic. By exploring the fundamentals of compelling, natural-sounding dialogue as well as the differences between theatrical dialogue and real speech, you’ll come away with tips that can bolster your dialogue not only in stage plays but in other storytelling forms—whether they be screenplays, TV scripts, novels, or short stories.

The presentation will cover:

• How dialogue reveals character
• Dialogue as action
• Rhythm and pacing
• Making dialogue sound like real talk
• Making dialogue actable
• How subtext works
• Dialogue exercises to polish your skills
• Q&A