Creative Writing

Marrinson
Dialogue Prompts
Dialog (also spelled dialogue) is one of the most difficult aspects of writing to master.
There are many pitfalls you must try to avoid, such as
Stilted Language
Dialog that does not sound li!e natural speech.
Filler
Dialog that does not further the scene and does not deepen your understanding of the
characters.
Exposition
Dialog that has the character e"plain the plot or repeat information for the #enefit of the
audience.
Naming
$aving one character use another character%s name to esta#lish identity. People almost
never say other people%s names #ac! to them, and if they do it is a character trait typical
of a used car salesman.
Overuse of Modifiers
Too many dialog modifiers such as shouted, e"claimed, cried, whispered, stammered,
opined, insinuated, hedged and a million others. Modifiers such as this can sometimes #e
useful, #ut are often annoying and used as a crutch for poorly designed dialogue.
Here are a few exercises to help you master dialog as a tool for writing:
&. Write down the things you say over the course of the day. '"amine your own speech
patterns. (ou don%t have to get every word, #ut you may find that you say less than you
thin! and that your statements are surprisingly short. (ou might also find that you rarely
spea! in complete sentences.
). *ind a crowded place such as a restaurant, a #ar, or a shopping mall and write down
snippets of the conversations you hear. +void trying to record whole conversations, ,ust
follow along for a #rief e"change and then listen for your ne"t target. -f you are worried
a#out loo!ing suspicious, you might want to purchase a Palm Pilot, $andspring .isor or
other hand/held PD+ device. These handy spy tools ma!e it loo! li!e you are conducting
#usiness or playing with your favorite electronic toy rather than eavesdropping.
0. Test responses to the same 1uestion. Thin! of a 1uestion that will re1uire at least a little
thought, and as! it of several different people. Compare their responses. 2emem#er that
you are focused on their words. Write them down as soon as you can.
3. 2ecord several different T. shows. 4ome choices include sitcom, news, drama, tal!
show, infomercial, sporting event, etc.). Write down a transcript using ,ust the dialog and
people%s names. -f you don%t !now the names, ,ust use a description such as announcer or
redheaded woman. (ou can also transcri#e two shows of the same genre, using one show
you li!e and one you disli!e. Compare dialog #etween the fiction and non/fiction
programming you recorded. 5oo! for such things as greetings, descriptions of physical
actions, complete sentences, slang, ver#al tic!s (4uch as li!e, you !now, uhhhh, well,
etc.). Compare how these dialog crutches change according to the show format and
1uality.
6. 2ewrite one or more of the shows in e"ercise 3 as prose, trying to recreate the show as
accurately as possi#le. 7ote how easy or difficult it is to wor! in the entire dialog from
the show. Does it seem to flow naturally and read well or does it get in your way. 2ewrite
again eliminating any dialog you feel is unnecessary. Try not to change any dialog though
until your final draft. Wor! with what you have. 2emem#er that you don%t necessarily
have to rewrite the whole show. Do enough to #e sure you have the feeling for it.
8. 2ewrite one of the transcripts from e"ercise 3 using as much of the dialog as possi#le,
#ut changing the scene in as many ways as possi#le. Change the setting, change the
people%s intent, and change the tone. 4ee how easy or difficult it is to give the same words
a different intent. +gain, do enough to #e sure you have the feeling for it.
9. Write the dialog for a scene without using any modifiers. :ust write down a
conversation as it goes along naturally. +fter you have completed the dialog, add
narrative description, #ut not dialog tags such as said, shouted or ordered. -nstead, try to
wor! the dialog into the action as a logical progression of the statements. *inally, add any
dialog tags that are a#solutely necessary, and !eep them simple such as said, told, or
as!ed. +gain, only put them in if you can find not other options. Compare this to the
previous dialog you have written and see what you li!e or disli!e a#out the changes.
;. Write a scene in which one person tells another person a story. Ma!e sure that you
write it as a dialog and not ,ust a first person narrative, #ut clearly have one person telling
the story and the other person listening and as!ing 1uestions or ma!ing comments. The
purpose of this scene will #e #oth to have the story stand alone as a su#,ect, and to have
the characters% reactions to the story #e the focal point of the scene.
<. Write a scene in which one person is listening to two other people have an argument or
discussion. *or e"ample, a child listening to her parents argue a#out money. $ave the
third character narrate the argument and e"plain what is going on, #ut have the other two
provide the entire dialog. -t is not necessary to have the narrator understand the argument
completely. Miscommunication is a ma,or aspect of dialog.
&=. Write a conversation #etween two liars. >ive everything they say a dou#le or triple
meaning. 7ever state or indicate through outside description that these two people are
lying. 5et the reader figure it out strictly from the dialog. Try not to #e o#vious, such as
having one person accuse the other of lying. That is too easy.
&&. Write a conversation in which no character spea!s more than three words per line of
dialog. +gain, avoid crutches such as e"plaining everything they say through narration.
?se your narration to enhance the scene, not e"plain the dialog.
&). Write a narrative or scripted scene in which several characters are ta!ing an active
role in the conversation. This can #e a difficult aspect of dialog to master, #ecause with
each additional character, the reader or audience must #e a#le to !eep trac! of the
motivations and interests of the individuals involved. This can #e especially difficult in
prose, where the time #etween one character spea!ing and the ne"t can #e interrupted #y
action or description. 4ee how many characters your can sustain within the scene and still
have it ma!e sense and #e engaging.
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