• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Victoria Festival of Authors

An annual celebration of writers and literature

  • Accessibility
  • Partners
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Sponsor Us
    • Volunteer
  • About Us
    • Our mission
    • Strategic Plan
    • History
    • Who we are
    • Contact Us
  • Archive
    • Q&A
    • Panels
    • Podcasts
  • Get Tickets

They Have to be Able to Talk

As Elmore Leonard wrote of his characters, they have to be able to talk. Writing effective dialogue is an essential skill for any writer. In this workshop with Susan Juby you will learn how to write dialogue that establishes relationship dynamics and builds tension while moving the plot forward. You will learn tricks to help you develop an ear for distinctive turns of phrase, grammar and vocabulary, and find out what pitfalls can make a piece of dialogue sound false or clunky. We will do exercises that will show you how to use dialogue as a prompt to start or deepen a story and how to combine various aspects of character development with direct, indirect and summary dialogue.

Canadian College of Performing Arts
September 21-22
9:30am-12:00pm

Get Tickets

Footer

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Victoria Festival of Authors respectfully acknowledges that we are located on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen people now known as the Songhees and Esquimalt nations.
Copyright © 2025 Victoria Festival of Authors.