Antony West (Author)

Nothing ruins a story faster than dialogue that sounds like it was written by a committee of robots. Characters need to have their own voice, their own rhythm, their own way of speaking. Sue Cowley’s work on classroom management can apply here – create a safe space for students to experiment with different voices. Encourage them to listen to how people actually talk. Have a ‘dialogue day’ where students read out their lines and the class provides feedback on whether it sounds authentic. It’s all about making their characters sound less like cardboard cut-outs and more like living, breathing, sometimes-grumpy humans.