sitting on Granddad's tractor
My writing group complimented me on my use of dialogue. In particular, they commented on my ability to capture the dialect of the time and place without being heavy handed. They said it sounded very natural.
I appreciate their kind words, but I’m afraid I can’t take much credit as a writer. It would be like a Parisian taking pride in how natural his French sounds. “Country” is my native language. My husband used to say that when I was around my family, my accent became more pronounced and I would use phrases he’d never heard. After working to speak publicly without saying y’all and to remove colloquialism from my academic prose, it’s nice to be able to put my first language to good use. Along with my Grandma’s stories, I have the opportunity to preserve the language of her people.