Reading Questions for 11.10.09

What is the effective way to use narrative and dialogue in feature stories?
What do we need to ensure we have to include or avoid in using dialogue and narrative?

1) An effective way to use narrative and dialogue in feature stories is at the beginning of the piece to attract the reader and keep them interested and entertained. This has proven to be much more effective than just giving “black and white” details of an event. Dialogue makes the reader feel much more attached to the story; it gives them a connection to the piece that was non-existent before.
2) What's necessary to ensure that the writer either needs, or doesn’t need dialogue and narrative, is to follow a few simple rules: avoid quotes that are not needed, and don’t overuse the quotes or dialogue. The less used, the more impactful they are.