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Rule #1: Use Quotation Marks and Commas

Surround your dialogue with quotation marks and end it with a comma before the last quotation mark. End with the dialogue tag to identify the speaker.

“This is my favorite dress,” said Sally.

“I put your keys on top of the dresser,” Mark insisted.

Rule #2: Always Create a New Paragraph Line for New Speakers

When you have a new speaker, you should create a new paragraph line.

“This is my favorite dress,” said Sally.

“It looks terrible on you,” said Mark.

Rule #3: Put Periods Inside of Quotation Marks When Not Using Dialogue Tags

When your sentence ends with a dialogue tag, use a comma inside the quotation marks. When you are not using dialogue tags, you’ll want to put the period inside the quotation marks as well.

Mark walked across the room to the corner dresser. “I swear I put your keys here.”

Rule #4: Avoid Run-On Sentences – Use Multiple Sentences if Necessary

“I love this dress,” said Sally. “I’m going to wear it everywhere. I’m not just going to wear it to the wedding; I’m going to wear it to the grocery store, the library, and the pancake dinner.”

Rule #5: Use a Comma for Action Within the Dialogue

“I love this dress,” said Sally, carefully taking it out of the closet.

“I think it’s hideous,” said Mark, wondering why on earth she would want to wear something that reminded him of pea soup. “You do realize it’s the same color as pea soup, don’t you?”

In this instance, we DO use a comma, because it separates the dialogue tag from the action. In this case, Sally is doing a physical action as she takes the dress from the closet. Mark’s action is not a physical action, as we use the word wondering – however it still counts as an action all the same.

Rule #6: Know How to Punctuate Dialogue in Reverse

Both the dialogue tag and the action can come before the dialogue. In this case, you simply end the dialogue with a period, and use a comma after the dialogue tag.

Mark whispered, “I love you even if you are wearing an ugly dress.”

Looking into his eyes, Sally said, “Thank you for understanding.”

Rule #7: Multiple Paragraphs of Same Speaker

When you have a character who is speaking a lot, it is okay if you need to use multiple paragraphs. Simply omit the end quotation mark at the end of the first paragraph and begin the second paragraph with a quotation mark.

This can sometimes be confusing to readers, but there are times when it is appropriate.

“Listen, I have a lot to say about why I love this dress.” Sally straightened her posture. “This dress was my grandmother’s dress. She wore it when she first came to this country in 1936. She had nothing – no money, no food – but she had this dress.

“That’s where I am today. I have nothing. Nothing! No job, no money, no car. I have this dress. It worked for my grandmother, maybe it will work for me, too.

“I’m wearing this dress, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Again, sometimes it is better to break up your dialogue with different speakers or to add action – but it’s not always necessary. Largely a lot of this will depend on your own unique type of writing style and what your goals are as a writer.

Rule #8 Capitalize the first letter of each dialogue.

Sally cried, “Why can’t you understand my love for this dress?”

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- Brainstorm a great story idea (small moments, places, events, issues, struggles, stories you wish existed in the world).
- Make your characters come alive by:
generating traits
reveal wants and challenges
consider character's attitude toward self
explore character's relationships with others
describe character's movements, facial expressions, tics, style, quirks, etc.

- Test-drive your characters in scenes
Make sure character does things, big or small
show feelings
include dialogue
develop the setting
try different points of view (first and third person)

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Strategies for Generating Personal Narrative Topics

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Strategies for Generating Personal Narrative Topics

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- Think of a person who matters to you
- Think of the first or last times you did something
- Think of moments that mattered because you realized or learned something
- Think about a place that matters
- Think about an issue that matters to you

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Check your paper's grammar and punctuation using an online tool:
1. Grammarly.com - sign up with Google, click "new" and "+", copy and paste your draft
2. If you have Word at home, cut and paste your story into a word doc to find errors
3. PaperRater.com - click "9th grade" in order to receive a grade and have errors shown

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1. Keep in mind what your story is really about and make sure the ending helps to show that.
2. Pay attention to the structure of the story and make sure the ending fits the arc:
- has the character evolved?
- how has the plot developed?
3. Ensure that all loose ends are tied up.

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- Sometimes stories begin not with a big action but with a small action, which can be against the backdrop of a setting
- Some stories begin by conveying a mood, and only afterward does the sequence of actions begin
- Sometimes the time and the place are revealed slowly, bit by bit, as the character sees or moves into the setting
- Some stories foreshadow a central theme or idea by including a telling image, piece of dialogue, or action

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1. Each member has a turn sharing his or her work.
2. The person sharing reads his or her piece, or an excerpt of the piece, out loud.
3. Members of the group take turns giving feedback:
- start with specific compliments
- offer tips or suggestions to improve the writing
4. The writer jots down notes and asks questions in response to the members' feedback.
5. The next writer takes a turn.

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- Increase the obstacles (or the difficulty of the obstacles)
- make it challenging for the character to act
- create a time crunch
- raise the character's motivation
- add danger

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- Setting establishes what kind of world the characters live in
- Details pull readers in to the story
- Conflict between or within characters shows us what's at stake in the story
- Actions and dialogue reveal characters' traits, emotions, and motivations
- Dialogue tags imply emotion with which a character speaks