'nother Mike (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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writercises2017-08-29 03:50 pm
mbarker) wrote in writercises2017-08-29 03:50 pm
Entry tags:
TECH: Step up to Stronger Dialogue (moldy oldie)
Original Posting May 25, 2017
Writer's Digest, February 2000, on pages 40-42, has an article by David Curran with the title "Step up to Stronger Dialogue." In it, David recommends three exercises to help you learn to write good dialogue. Here we go!
1. One-sided conversations. Start out with a simple one, a one sided conversation. For example, pretend you're eavesdropping on one side of a phone conversation (yes, it could be someone with a cell phone standing in the checkout line in front of you). So, write the monologue without adding any observations about the speaker's thoughts or gestures. Just the conversation. Put in a bit of mystery, why does the speaker react to the other person in a certain way? Maybe build in a little bit of conflict. Work on the voice, so that this person sounds like they have their own way of speaking. Go ahead and free your imagination. Where are you likely to get one-sided conversations? Someone talking to their pet? Someone talking to their computer? Someone talking to the hand? Tell a story, beginning with a little hook, a middle that reveals the story conflict, and an ending. Try several different conversations, and read them to your friends. See how they react!
2. Real conversations. Now, go to a restaurant, food court, bar, someplace that people are talking, and try to write down some real conversations. Record is much as you feel comfortable with. Yes, you may have trouble hearing, the conversations may well be fragments and full of extraneous stuff. But, that's what real conversations are like. The speakers know the context – but a writer has to provide that context. Tone, gesture, facial expressions, all that stuff – the writer has to work around it. Still, you may have found some useful tricks. When you overheard feelings, what gave it away? "Say as little as you need to establish context. The only way to get the hang of this is to practice, and a good place to practice is with two-sided conversations."
3. Two-sided conversations. Find a newspaper with classified ads by men and women seeking mates (yes, you can use the web, too). Now, build some characters. What did they intend to say, what did they reveal that they didn't expect to. Combine the needs, feelings, flaws and so forth to build a character. Feel free to combine ads. Now, with some characters, work on a two-sided conversation. You know the motives: lonely people looking for something. Put that in dialogue. Tell us about these ad-crossed lovers talking to each other. Then, do it again!
So, one-sided conversations, a little research on real conversations, and two-sided conversations out of advertising. Then, have fun. Try mixing it up, perhaps with letters, perhaps with videoconferencing.
"These exercises should help you with more than just good dialogue. You'll also be learning to develop believable characters with unique voices."
There you go. Let the talking begin!
Writer's Digest, February 2000, on pages 40-42, has an article by David Curran with the title "Step up to Stronger Dialogue." In it, David recommends three exercises to help you learn to write good dialogue. Here we go!
1. One-sided conversations. Start out with a simple one, a one sided conversation. For example, pretend you're eavesdropping on one side of a phone conversation (yes, it could be someone with a cell phone standing in the checkout line in front of you). So, write the monologue without adding any observations about the speaker's thoughts or gestures. Just the conversation. Put in a bit of mystery, why does the speaker react to the other person in a certain way? Maybe build in a little bit of conflict. Work on the voice, so that this person sounds like they have their own way of speaking. Go ahead and free your imagination. Where are you likely to get one-sided conversations? Someone talking to their pet? Someone talking to their computer? Someone talking to the hand? Tell a story, beginning with a little hook, a middle that reveals the story conflict, and an ending. Try several different conversations, and read them to your friends. See how they react!
2. Real conversations. Now, go to a restaurant, food court, bar, someplace that people are talking, and try to write down some real conversations. Record is much as you feel comfortable with. Yes, you may have trouble hearing, the conversations may well be fragments and full of extraneous stuff. But, that's what real conversations are like. The speakers know the context – but a writer has to provide that context. Tone, gesture, facial expressions, all that stuff – the writer has to work around it. Still, you may have found some useful tricks. When you overheard feelings, what gave it away? "Say as little as you need to establish context. The only way to get the hang of this is to practice, and a good place to practice is with two-sided conversations."
3. Two-sided conversations. Find a newspaper with classified ads by men and women seeking mates (yes, you can use the web, too). Now, build some characters. What did they intend to say, what did they reveal that they didn't expect to. Combine the needs, feelings, flaws and so forth to build a character. Feel free to combine ads. Now, with some characters, work on a two-sided conversation. You know the motives: lonely people looking for something. Put that in dialogue. Tell us about these ad-crossed lovers talking to each other. Then, do it again!
So, one-sided conversations, a little research on real conversations, and two-sided conversations out of advertising. Then, have fun. Try mixing it up, perhaps with letters, perhaps with videoconferencing.
"These exercises should help you with more than just good dialogue. You'll also be learning to develop believable characters with unique voices."
There you go. Let the talking begin!