From Reader to Writer...From Dialogue to Characterization

I am a voracious reader.  I mean it.  I read no less than five books a week.  My kindle is my constant companion and I love having the highlight feature that allows me to notate when dialogue or descriptive scenes move me. 

After I have finished a book I like to go back to those passages and study them to see what it was that I was so taken with.  And I have found that nine times out of ten it really is the dialogue that sings to me. 

I think everyone has an idea of what part of a story is the most important for them.  Personally, when I am reading, it is all about dialogue.  Don't get me wrong, I have to believe in the character and the plot structure, but for me to spend my time reading the whole book I have to be really invested in the dialogue.  

It has to be snappy.  It has to make me laugh out loud and it has to be intelligent.

But when I am writing, dialogue is important, but I find I spend more time developing characterization.  I have a couple of different worksheets that I use to develop each character and these are basically my crib sheets that I use through out the entire story. 

As I write I have found that dialogue always comes to me once I have fleshed out my character.  I never have a problem as long I have spent the time getting to know them before I start putting pen to paper.

As I was sitting on the beach Saturday, which is my work room on the weekends, I spent some time thinking about this because as a writer I find myself studying how other writers use words and I am always intrigued.  Mainly because I want to effect the people who read my writings the same way I have been touched by my favorite authors and how they use words.

Keep you fingers crossed that I am doing it well.