Writing Your Memoir: The Fun and Freedom of Dialogue
Writing dialogue in memoir writing is no different from writing dialogue in fiction. Unless a conversation or interaction from your life is so memorable it feels seared in your mind, don't try to recreate it word for word. It will most likely come out stilted. Let the dialogue flow freely and trust that the flow catches the essence of the scene. What is this scene about? Is it an argument, an invitation? Are they breaking up? Meeting because of some plot they are involved in? Is this a mystery? A love story? Are they long-lost siblings? Is she about to tell him that she's pregnant?
As with all of the Five Ingredients of the Scene, the What Ifs are as endless as your imagination!
Some tips when working with dialogue:
The point of view character is the only character who has inner thoughts. The other person in the dialogue can speak and act but doesn't have inner thoughts, aka a point of view.
I've never worked with anyone who can't write dialogue, only with people who think they can't.
Writing dialogue is fun. It is amazing what you learn, including twists and turns of a plot, once you trust your characters to take the lead in dialogue.
Use this picture prompt to bring some new memory into focus for your memoir.