help writing dialogue?

Question

I have an assignment in one of my college courses to write a short script for with 2-3 pages of dialogue. It needs to be focused on some issues that are taking place in today's society and possibly teach a lesson. Also, it is suppossed to be somewhat lighthearted. I have NO idea where to start. I am awful at writing dialogue and have been brainstorming and trying out ideas for the last couple days with no success. Does anyone have suggestions for me? Please help!

Answer 1

Just take it nice and slowly and look at this rationally. You say you are terrible at dialogue. Do you ever actually TALK to people? Do you converse with friends? Talk on the telephone? That is dialogue. Just think of it as people talking to each other.

The best way to start is to know a little something about your characters. That will help you figure out how they talk. If they are teenagers, they probably use a lot of slang when they speak. If they are elderly, they probably don't. Some people speak more formally. Others more casually. Someone just learning English might speak very differently from someone who has a PhD.

Once you know who the people are, decide on what the scene is about. Let's say two girlfriends on a lunch break from work - sitting in Starbucks discussing one of the girl's upcoming wedding plans. She is upset because her caterer just told her she would have to change the date. That is your conflict. They have to sit down and discuss solutions for it. Her friend suggests she try other caterers. Or maybe she can change the date. Has she discussed it with her fiance? Will the caterer give her a discount if she changes dates?

So just write the conversation. One line at a time. Girl A says this ... Girl B responds by saying that ... and so on. Remember that a big part of being a good conversationalist is being a good listener. So when Girl A says something, Girl B has to listen to the question and respond...

I actually adore writing dialogue. I could do it all day. In fact, sometimes I have to force myself to NOT write dialogue. I once had a writing teacher who made me write an entire short story - including a very intimate sex scene - without a single word of dialogue. Now THAT was hard.

Once you get the hang of it, writing dialogue is extremely easy. Just remember the simple rules of punctuation for dialogue and bust a move. Talk to your imaginary friend. Or have a friend sit down and actually role play the conversation with you. Improvise.

Nothing could be easier. We all write dialogue all day long. Do you know what you are going to say before you say it? No - you listen to what someone says and respond ... by writing dialogue. EVERYONE is actually a natural at writing dialogue. We do it all day long. Trust me when I tell you that nobody sucks at writing dialogue. Unless you are a deaf mute or a person who has spent their life as a Tibetan monk never speaking to another living breathing soul, it is virtually impossible to suck at writing dialogue.

That is how I explain it to students. And I have had dialogue scenes written by 6 year olds that would knock your socks off. I asked them to do it verbally and I transcribed it for them. When I read it back to them, they were shocked at what they had "written".

You CAN do this. Pax - C

Answer 2

Honestly, that is the primary time I've heard of some thing like that :-/ I placed my dialogues purposely within the tale, to not fill it in. To make it sound sensible, you simply have got to hold it sensible. Think approximately how exact persons in exact instances might talk. Maybe, if you do not know what will have to your characters speak approximately, the discussion should not be there. That's why it appears like "a few random dull nonsense that doesn’t must be there". I do not believe discussion is suitable for filling the gaps among scenes. It does not have temporal detail nor are you able to use it to change to yet another position. If you suppose just like the scene is over, use asterisks. They are reputable if there is no different option to transfer. BQ: Not quite. They are already part constructed earlier than I truthfully begin writing. I'm already conversant in them so there is no challenge. BQ2: I would not make a individual established on me XD That's somewhat... I do not know. I simply would not. Because if I had been, I'd generally proper all my flaws and the whole thing I dislike approximately me. I'd make a fable individual. Which sucks. I are not looking for that. BQ3: I write separately however expand suggestions for others at the same time. BQ4: No, dialogues are my favourite constituents :D I in general pass the descriptions or factors in the event that they bore me.

Answer 3

First, focus on your story. Then add dialogue.

You don't have long, I realize, but maybe checking out how a story is created and the power of "show, don't tell" works might help.

For dialogue, remember that it's all about what isn't said. The best dialogue lets the reader read between the lines; the subtext.

What you want to write is how to reveal the subtext. But you have to do this in a meaningful scene that is part of a meaningful story.

Answer 4

Writing dialogue in a script format is fairly easy, but I understand some people just blank out when they have to actually write it.

Turn on a tape recorder and have the conversation, then transcribe it (type it in from what you recorded). If you don't have someone to have the conversation with, you'll just have to do both parts.

Yes, writers have split personalities. As long as you can keep from doing that in public, no one will know....

Answer 5

Listen to a talk show on the radio or TV that is supposed to incorporate humor: don't know what they are, but that's my idea. Or watch is it John Daily, the Daily Show news? for bits of ideas that are definitely humorous.

And who else can your friends tell you about who are up on current events yet with a humorous slant? Read a columnist in either your college humor paper or in the local paper and see what you can pick up of humorous current local events... read, read, watch and listen.

Listen to the way two people talk. If you know two political science majors who can laugh, get them talking to each other about current events and get them to be funny about it, One thing I do know is that many people think they are funny, so it takes little encouragement to have them do a short routine of some kind, extemporaneous. They'll help. And I hope this helps!

Answer 6

read "lessons from a lifetime of writing" or "writing horror". both books has a chapter on dialouge written by David morrell, he's the guy who created Rambo. there is also a book on dialouge called "dialouge" by lewis turco