Craft focus: voice and dialogue in fiction

What is the course about?

In this short course, you'll learn what 'voice' means in fiction, and how to craft the right one for your story. You'll also learn the fundamentals of effective dialogue in fiction, how character voices can push a story forward, and how to make your characters sound like themselves.

Students say: "I found the course helpful in encouraging me to find my own voice"; "Excellent! Really enjoyable and varied content"; "A packed day full of inspiring ways to get writing"; "I loved the writing exercises and workshopping."

City Lit reserves the right to change course tutors from those advertised in this outline. In line with our refund policy we are unable to grant a refund on the grounds of a change of tutor.

What will we cover?

- Types of voice in fiction
Author voice - analysis of different authors' style
Character voice - analysis of all aspects of creating an identity for a character

- How to write effective dialogue
Techniques for creating a distinct, unique spoken voice for each character
Techniques for creating convincing and powerful dialogue on the page
Basic formatting conventions for dialogue.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Identify and experiment with specific styles of fiction writing
- Identify the different functions of dialogue in fiction
- Identify a range of techniques used to create a fictional character's dialogue and apply them in your own work.
- Craft a compelling dialogic exchange between two or more characters.
- Format your story's dialogue according to current standard British convention.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This course is suitable for those with some experience of creative writing. You will need to be an enthusiastic reader of fiction with fluency in English.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

Short interactive tutor presentations, analysis of published work, in-class writing exercises, troubleshooting and discussion.

All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

For classes longer than one day, regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.

City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

No extra costs. Bring pen/paper.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Why not try one of our term-long courses in fiction such as Writing fiction, Short Story Writing or Starting your novel? If you feel ready to submit your work for rigorous constructive feedback, you can enrol on Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop.

Collect the other Craft Focus courses on offer to give key elements of your writing the special attention they deserve. You may also enjoy a Reading for writers course, or the Craft of fiction reading and writing group. There are lots of options to develop your fiction available via the online prospectus. If you need help finding the right one, just give us a call!

All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.