Whatever story you are working on, it will most likely involve dialogue. Done well, it can help move along the story, develop the character(s), and show subtext just as well as your narrative. Here is an exercise to help you develop this skill.

As a way of visualizing a dialogue scene and making it sharper, try “blocking”.

In your mind, or better, on a scrap of paper, map out the scene. Figure out where the furniture (or outdoor objects) are, and then where the individuals are standing. Do they pace or shift position as they speak? Does one cross in front of another? Does someone turn her or his back? Write it in more detail you might ordinarily write. Then lay it aside, come back later, and cut out anything that is not vital to the action.

Obviously, you cannot show us your “blocking”, so just sharing the dialogue will be fine. However, if you wish to add how it helped – if it helped – you could do so at the beginning of the work, the end, or in the description field.

If you chose to participate, submit your work to the group and then come back here and link it below. This will make it easier for the hosts and others in the group to quickly find, and connect the story to the exercise that initiated it.

IN ADDITION PLEASE NOTE: in the description field or tag the work in such a way that the hosts can clearly see that your work is a direct result of this exercise.

Exercise 7

This is my very first attempt at writing dialogue and I found it challenging to say the least. Obviously I still have a long way to go with my writing however I find the exercises very helpful.