Writer in Residence Workshop: Dialog, Dialect, and Voice

Dialog is one of the best ways to learn about characters, both for the reader and the author. The way a person speaks can tell you much about him. Listening to his speech can tell you where he comes from, his background, family life, education, desires, wishes, prejudices, attitude, even his worldview. We will also discuss how to deal with dialects and accents through word order, cadence, or rhythm, as well as the concept of "voice", or the way writing 'sounds' on the page. “One line of dialogue that rings true reveals character in a way that pages of description doesn’t.”- Anne Lamott  Presented by Writer in Residence Donis Casey.

Donis Casey is the author of the Alafair Tucker Mysteries, a historical mystery series, set in Oklahoma in the booming 1910s, featuring a sleuthing mother of ten children. She has twice won the Arizona Book Award for her series and was a finalist for the Willa Award and the Oklahoma Book Award. Her first novel, The Old Buzzard Had It Coming, was named an Oklahoma Centennial Book.  Donis is a former teacher, academic librarian, and entrepreneur. She was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now lives in Tempe, Arizona.