Many writers consider dialogue the easiest aspect of prose. After all, it’s just talking, right? How hard could that be? Well, from our perspective, such a mindset probably explains the ubiquity of “direct speech” lacking in direction. Quotes may be your overlooked Achilles’ heel, but here’s the deal: today, we’ll dip you in the old syntactic Styx again.
Practice may not “perfect” make, but scuba diving shan’t precede one’s learning how to doggie paddle. Thus, we’ll make a case today for trying out the “kiddie pool.” Too cool for that? Well, Faulkner, Orwell, Hemingway, O’Connor, Steinbeck, Chopin, Dickens, Nabokov, and Twain weren’t, so you must be suave.
It couldn’t be said that a fondness for folk precludes one’s penchant for pop, punk, or polka. As such, we’d ne’er confine ourselves to fruits of but one wisdom tree either. Indeed, fruit salad is “where it’s at”—exciting, colorful, nutrient-rich—so do enjoy this brimming bowl of succulent cerebral quotes. To write well isn’t difficult. It’s thinking that’s the trick!