Photo: Life-of-Pix, Pixabay
Here’s a little pensive on dialogue. We all know it’s tempting to bring a load of backstory into our creative writing, but nobody wants to read the backstory of Brent. Here’s what Brent is like when he’s at a bar.
Bar Assistant: I saw Esme yesterday.
Brent: You don’t mean Esme, my ex-boss? The one who started a disciplinary for no good reason and then gave me the sack, leaving me without employment over Christmas.
Bar Assistant: Yes, that Esme.
As an exercise, I suggest you choose two characters:
- one is a rule maker, such as a police officer, a teacher, a judge
- one is a rule breaker, such as a graffiti artist, a pickpocket, a streaker
Use these two characters to develop a dialogue over something they both value. Can this lead to a short story or sketch around the two characters you’ve created?
