Creative writing - Mike Sanders 2014

Writing dialogue for the stage
The play and screenplay people want to watch
Long-form genres

Many people believe that among writers, there are two camps: those who write excellent description/action, and those who write excellent dialogue. Putting these skills together is what separates the paid from the unpaid.

The next time you’re out in a restaurant, open your journal and eavesdrop. Note how people talk over each other constantly and rarely ever finish a complete thought. Don’t transcribe conversations verbatim, but jot down interesting phrases, notes regarding the flow of dialogue, and how the flow shifts (or how the dialogue volleys and interesting turns of phrases).

WRITING PROMPT

Write a scene in which a couple is buying a mattress. They’re only allowed to speak about the mattress, but through the subtext, we learn of their marital problems. The woman says, “I’ve always wanted a firm mattress, what with my back problems and all. Plus, we could spend a little more time in bed, couldn’t we John?”

Good dialogue both in plays and screenwriting takes short, simple sentences—one thought at a time. If possible, include tension and purpose in every word or sentence. Generally, no more than three uninterrupted sentences of dialogue are acceptable—the occasional lengthy monologue is fine but should be absolutely warranted. If you can, always break up dialogue with action.

Be sure you engage your audience. Viewers are usually engaged by what the writer doesn’t tell them, not by what the writer does tell. Thus, join scenes late and leave them early. Allow characters to exist offstage. In other words, reference their background lives or acts, at least those aspects worthy of mention, in their dialogue and/or character interactions. Have your characters actually listen to, engage with, interrupt, and react to things other characters say, instead of each character just speaking because it’s their turn.

Then, when you’re finally done and happy with your scene, go back and cut the dialogue even shorter.

WATCH OUT!

Avoid the following in your play or screenplay: people saying directly what they mean, big speeches, and stating the obvious (particularly in respect to things the audience can see or hear).

When functioning properly, dialogue and other verbal sound reveals character, advances the plot, expresses subtext, and entertains. Every line should resonate with who says it. The flavor of each character’s background should be captured in his or her word choices. The syntax (arrangement of words) should be uniquely theirs. Focus on background, attitudes, personality quirks, education, mannerisms—and most importantly—wants and needs when writing dialogue. Remember that strong characters have needs that should come into conflict with the needs of other characters.

Well-written dialogue imperceptibly moves the story forward by having the characters say something that leads to something happening—a decision is made, a question is asked, and information is revealed. As a result, momentum or tension is built. At times, even silence can be moving.

Establish a cause-and-effect relationship between what’s spoken and what happens next. Try to instill conflict in your character interactions. In real life, inner conflict often gets externalized, or dumped onto friends or family, but in drama, it helps to be subtle. So let visuals, sounds, tension, and so on drive the meaning behind your characters’ words.

Above all, entertain the audience. Dialogue needs to evoke a visceral response and engage the audience. Whether it’s a funny line, poignant line, mysterious line, frightening line, emotion-filled line, or so on, the audience should be moved emotionally. Think about what the audience expects from your play or screenplay: is it a horror? Drama? Comedy? Some combination?