Thanksgiving is a Treasure Trove of Dialogue

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy your meal with family and friends. 

It's actually one of my favorite holidays, as it kicks off the holiday season. The week leading up to Thanksgiving is filled with planning menus, volunteering at local food banks, heading home for the holiday, or whatever you may do to give thanks. There is plenty of time for shopping, duck hunting and football later in the weekend. 

This week, I found myself in a waiting room for a couple of hours. I was attempting to work on this blog post but alas, I was distracted by a woman talking animatedly about her Thanksgiving plans. She had her cell phone volume turned up so I could hear the entire conversation. It occurred to me this was great research for a dialogue revolving around Thanksgiving holiday. 

This woman's conversation revolved around who all was coming to her home. I heard about relatives who were coming and those who weren't and why. I heard about Aunt Sal's recipe for sweet potato pie. Then, there was the discussion about when she was going grocery shopping and who had the best prices. They ended their conversation when one of their relatives rang in and needed picking up at "201" (the local jail).

I kid you, not. You can't dream this stuff up but what interesting dialogue for your WIP. 

Happy Thanksgiving to y'all.