Review Dialogue

Many reflective essays use dialogue — spoken exchanges between key figures in a story — to help readers better understand a subject. Dialogue can underscore the significance of your subject and help readers gain insight into how people are affected by or react to the subject. Dialogue can also add interest to a story or allow others to make a point that you might not want to state outright. If you’ve included dialogue, ask whether you’ve used it effectively. For example, have you relied too heavily on other people’s words? Are the right people engaged in dialogue? Does what they say make sense in the context of your story? If you haven’t used dialogue, ask yourself where you might include it to liven up your essay or engage readers with your subject.