Part I.
You will write a 25+ line dialogue with no description/exposition.
Sample Scenario:
2 people are standing on their front lawn. They know each other well. You pick their relationship: parent/child, married, siblings, other? One has a secret. He/she is coming home, but was supposed to have been home all day. It's a blustery, gray day. The other person was not supposed to be home at all, but they have some very important news to tell the first person.
Write only the words they say. Min: 25 lines total. Lines should be of varying lengths, one may be a few words and one may be 20.
Rob's Sample.
Hey.
Hi. You're home early.
You're not.
I had to run to the store.
For what?
You don't want to know.
I think I do.
You already do.
What?
You already know.
Oh. Aren't we doing this together? Never mind. It's not important.
It's not?
No. You want to know why I'm home?
Sure. Why are you home?
You know that position in Des Moines?
Yeah.
It's mine. If I want it that is. If we want it.
We?
I'm not going without you, silly.
Can we go inside to talk about this? I'm freezing.
Yeah. Of course.
Damn door.
Youíre a little jumpy. What do you think? We could finally afford the house we've dreamed of.
You've dreamed of, you mean.
What?
I'm happy here.
You are? Is that why you've started smoking again? Can I have one?
I went out to buy some. But I didn't.
Oh. Whereíd you go? You want one?
You've got some?
Yeah. Sorry.
You bastard!
Part II.
Now insert dialogue tags: He said, she said. Give your characters names.
Insert description.
Use at least three separate senses. What does the reader see, hear etc.? What do the characters feel, see?
Rob's Sample.
The rain poured outside, drumming on the metal of the carport roof. Janet shoved the car door. The screen door slammed open in the wind.
"Hey."
Janet spun around. Randy strode toward her from the backyard. "Hi. You're home early."
"You're not."
How am I going to explain this time? "I had to run to the store." Blame it on the addiction.
Randyís left eyebrow raised. "For what?"
"You don't want to know." She fumbled through her purse, dropped her keys in and zipped it up.
"I think I do want to know."
"You already do." Her hands were shaking.
"What?"
He wanted her to say it. "You already know." She didnít want to lie.
"Oh. Aren't we doing this together? Never mind. It's not important."
"It's not?" Janet was even more surprised. He was hyper about her quitting smoking.
Randyís eyes lit up. "No. You want to know why I'm home?" He grabbed and spun her around.
What the heck had gotten into him? "Sure. Why are you home?"
"You know that position in Des Moines?"
The job. "Yeah. What about it?"
"It's mine. If I want it that is. If we want it." He held her at arms length.
"We?" She felt herself tightening up inside. She didnít want to move again.
"I'm not going without you, silly." He looked genuinely confused.
"Can we go inside to talk about this? I'm freezing." She was shivering, but not only from the cold. She really did need something to calm her nerves.
"Yeah. Of course." The screen door slammed against the wall.
"Damn door."
"Youíre a little jumpy." He pulled the door shut. "What do you think? We could finally afford the house we've dreamed of."
"You've dreamed of, you mean." She dropped her purse on the table.
"What?"
"I'm happy here." Her fingers kept jumping from her buttons to her ring.
"You are? Is that why you've started smoking again?" His faced scrunched up apologetically. "Can I have one?"
"I went out to buy some. But I didn't."
"Oh. Whereíd you go?" He pulled a pack from inside his jacket. "You want one?"
"You've got some?"
"Yeah." He shrugged and handed her a cigarette. "Sorry. Where were you?"
"You bastard!" She snagged it from his hand.
Part III.
Exchange your work with at least one other writer.
Give and receive positive feedback and suggestions to make it even better.
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