Whether you are writing a blog post or an informational article, including dialogue will validate the dramatic nature of people’s real lives.
Expert Lee Gutkind describes the fiction-like elements that are intrinsic to the genre of creative nonfiction in her informational essay entitled, “What is Creative Nonfiction?”
“The word creative refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers, playwrights, and poets employ to present nonfiction —factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner. The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy.”
(Issue #0 at www.creativenonfiction.org)
“What if I can’t remember exactly what I said or what others have said?” Lijuan asks.
“Don’t let that stop you. Trust your memory to find typical speech patterns of both yourself and others.”
Marvin asks, “How much dialogue is too much?”
“Just like in a fiction text, every word has to count. The reader needs to learn something from each conversation, even from each character’s statements. So when you write, act like space is a premium. In this way, you are more likely to include “just the right quotes” that are nuggets of truth. The statements will ring true for your family or friends who witnessed the event with you.”
Dialogue can move a story forward and reveal the characters’ internal desires or goals.
Now this isn’t to say that we need dialogue throughout an entire essay, but when dialogue appears, it takes the stage!
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