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Struggling With Dialogue? Here’s What Helped Me (and Might Help You!) +Save 25% on This Is How You Know
Published 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hello friends!
Seeing the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, volunteering for FIRST robotics with my Dad, visiting the University of California in San Diego.
First things first, between Spring Break, our local FIRST robotics tournament, and touring colleges with my senior I've been out of the office A LOT over the past month. But the end is in sight! My senior had made a college decision: He will study engineering at the University of California in San Diego next fall, which means this mom has a great excuse to visit one of her favorite places over the next four years. Yay!
My next nonfiction picture book: We have an illustrator assigned for my (still) super secret picture book. And she's AMAZING! I am hoping we'll be able to make an announcement about it soon, so stay tuned!
Rom-com spy thriller updates: After I get back from a BIG school visit in Wisconsin this week (6 schools and 2 evening programs), I will start the second phase of revision on my rom-com spy thriller -- scene-level revisions. My overall plot is in pretty good shape, since I spent the past month creating a matrix of red herrings and clues plus suspects to make sure everything hangs together (see image below). After I made this spreadsheet in Excel, I folded all of the information back into my scene-by-scene outline, which will guide my revision process.
In preparation for revising at the scene level, I realized I am REALLY bad at dialogue, probably because we just don't use it much in nonfiction or picture books. But then I discovered this nugget:
"Dialogue in fiction is people communicating conflict to each other in a manner that sounds natural, that heightens story tension and that moves the plot forward." -- author Holly Lisle
In other words, dialogue is not about communicating information, and is often more about what's left unsaid. If you are struggling with writing good dialogue, I recommend Holly's short course, "How to Write Dialogue with Subtext," which shows you how to plan and craft dialogue. Find the course here. You can also take Reedsy's free dialogue course here with Bridget McNulty of Now Novel, which is a great starting point. Finally, I found some good tips in the book Talk the Talk by Penny Penniston.
Fellow writers, what's your biggest challenge when it comes to writing and revising? Clearly dialogue is a biggie for me. Shoot me an email and let's commiserate!
Happy writing and revising! Kirsten
Inside this newsletter:
Save 25% at the Barnes and Noble Preorder Sale for This Is How You Know (coming 9/16/25)
Wood, Wire, Wings story time and STEM activity at the Children's Imaginarium in Wasau, WI.
Join me for Write. Submit. Support. (a mini MFA, now starting in APRIL)
Reimagine Insiders Office Hours for May 2: Messy Middles
Next podcast drops May 2 featuring Carrie Tillotson and Mariana Llanos discussing authenticity readers and writing outside our lived experience (plus get transcripts for the April episodes)
May 2025 "New in Nonfiction" List (203 titles)
Are you in Central Wisconsin?
Join me for a special evening of imagination, inspiration, and invention on Wednesday, April 23 from 5:00pm – 6:30pm in Wassau, WI! I'll be reading Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane at the Children's Imaginarium. Learn more here.
Join me for Write. Submit. Support. for nonfiction
LAST CHANCE: Ready to take your nonfiction to the next level?Write. Submit. Support for Nonfiction offers expert guidance, a supportive community, and accountability to help you refine your work and get it submission-ready. Join me this spring—learn more and sign up here. (NOTE: This course has been delayed by one month. We now start in April. It's not too late to join!)
How do we organize our messy middles especially if we aren't using narrative structrue? In our May live office hours, Reimagine Insiders will dive into this essential craft skill with live coaching, examples, and discussion. Join this paid community (on Payhip) for just $5/month to access this session, enjoy an archive of videos and craft posts, plus get discounts on webinars and critiques—sign up today! Learn more here.
Next podcast episode, plus transcripts
Tune in for the next episode of the Nonfiction Kidlit Craft Conversations podcast (on Youtube as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) with author Carrie Tillotson and authenticity reader Mariana Llanos dropping May 2. This episode is PACKED with helpful info for anyone considering writing nonfiction stories outside their lived experience. I'd appreciate it if you rate and review on Apple podcasts to help other nonfiction fans discover the show.
Click here to get the full transcripts for my April interviews with author Ann Diament Koffsy (school visits) and co-authors Chana Stiefel and Barrington Irving (writing for multiple audiences). Catch up on past episodes here.
New in Nonfiction
Roundup of May New Releases
Here's the latest roundup of the newest juvenile nonfiction books released by U.S. publishers. You'll find the full list of 203 books in Edelweiss by clicking the link below.
Think nonfiction kids' books are boring? Think again! I'm a writer, teacher, and writing coach dedicated to helping students reimagine their true stories, turning them into captivating reads. Subscribe to my newsletter for tips, new releases, and more.
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