Lab: (1st Period) Please watch and take notes on key ideas from the following writing advice about dialogue and removing the overuse of filler words--or punctuating interjections correctly.
The Art & Craft of Dialogue Writing (short video)
How to NOT write Bad dialogue (short video)
How Character and Story Are Hidden in Dialogue (short video)
The Art & Craft of Dialogue Writing (short video)
How to NOT write Bad dialogue (short video)
How Character and Story Are Hidden in Dialogue (short video)
Help With Interjection Punctuation
How to eliminate filler words
In the COMMENT section below, write 5 lines of dialogue starting each line with a filler word or interjection. The dialogue should concern the advice you learned from dialogue writing and the videos above. But punctuate each line correctly. This will count as a pop quiz today.
Then continue to write your historical play draft. Use the time in the lab today to add to your play. See previous posts for further details.
This assignment is not due yet.
2nd Period: We will continue our reading of Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
HOMEWORK: Work on your play scripts. Those of you going on our field trip today, please make sure you have a notebook and writing utensil. Meet us in the commons at 9:00.
How to eliminate filler words
In the COMMENT section below, write 5 lines of dialogue starting each line with a filler word or interjection. The dialogue should concern the advice you learned from dialogue writing and the videos above. But punctuate each line correctly. This will count as a pop quiz today.
Then continue to write your historical play draft. Use the time in the lab today to add to your play. See previous posts for further details.
This assignment is not due yet.
2nd Period: We will continue our reading of Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
HOMEWORK: Work on your play scripts. Those of you going on our field trip today, please make sure you have a notebook and writing utensil. Meet us in the commons at 9:00.
14 comments:
"Uh, dialogue is to be used to provide exposition or advance the story. Unless passive conversation is important to the story, the audience doesn't need to know everything that everyone says."
"Well, dialogue has to serve the needs of the story, not those of the writer or the reader. It's alright to write fun dialogue just to entertain yourself, but harms the strength of the narrative."
"You see, subtext is important. Dialogue needs to be able to be interpreted, as having everything laid out clearly makes the dialogue shallow."
"Actually, it's important to have variety and conflict within dialogue. It'll bore the reader if everyone is constantly on the same page and agreeing with each other."
"Alright, so dialogue is essential in characterization. The reader should be able to tell what kind of person the character is by the way they speak and the things they say.
"No, dialogue needs to grab the audience's attention."
"By God, you'd think that writing dialogue would be easy enough for someone of your intellect to grasp."
"Woah, that dialogue is going to bore the audience beyond belief."
"Yes, you're getting it! Dialogue will lead to an understanding of the characters and make the story much more interesting"
"Bravo! You've actually completed a line of dialogue that will engage the audience and provide character backstory."
SONIA- Hey! Did you write a few stories today in class?
SONYA- Um. Not really. The teacher just gave us some advice on writing scripts.
SONIA- I mean...I'm getting interested in writing a few things myself.
SONYA- Yea! That would be awesome for you to stop wasting your time and do something that we both enjoy, sis.. I'm just gonna give you some of my own tips. Listen and Learn. You should always make sure that you add a voice to your characters to reveal their personalities. By the way, people like to laugh, smile, cry...just don't make them mad because we don't need outside characters in our plays. People will say that you are a good writer when you cause them an emotion. Just make sure that you start your story at the exposition because the audience would like to know what's going on. Don't be like those writers that never end their sentences with punctuation marks, please.
SONIA- Ahem! I don't think that I'm gonna remember all that. Do you mind writing it down for me? And...You should develop your characters a bit more. Just some advice.
"Well, the most important thing people tend to forget about dialogue is that it's supposed to be between the characters and not towards the reader."
"Yeah, and the reader observes the dialogue and can take away from who the characters are from their conversation."
"Also, the main point of the dialogue is to receive a reaction from the audience which can be from a funny line and extract emotion from the audience."
"Actually, the main point can also be to advance the story and let the audience guess for themselves what's happening or what's going to happen instead of giving it to them."
"So basically, the dialogue reveals more about the characters and the story than their actions do."
"Uh, people enjoy it when the writing creates an emotion in them."
"Oops, I think that you should add some punctuation marks."
"Um, could you start at the exposition. It would be more interesting."
"So, can you develop your characters a bit more."
"Please, add conflict in your dialogue, so that we will be interested in the plot."
"Alas, I can finally relax."
"Uh, don't tell me you forgot what we planned tonight."
"you know, it's been a long day and I don't feel up for it."
"Oh, suck it up. You always cancel and I will not accept your damn excuses today."
"Um, why can't we just do a rain check?"
"Man, i'm tired of all the exposition you have to pump you in your dialogue."
"Interjections are all sticking in there head where could have not been, Damn it!They're always adding personality to sentence."
"Jeez on, If you don't spiffity spice up your dialogue, the audience will be bored half to death!"
"I bash ye bloody head in, if you don't understand that dialogue helps the audience understand story and characters,mate!"
"Common now, we all know that dialogue should help everyone to understand the personality of the characters!"
"You know, to write a good dialogue the character cannot talk to the reader."
"Um yeah and dialogue needs to serve the needs of a story not the needs of a writer."
"Yeah and it directly reveals information between characters."
"Uh, and if you didn't know, If you just allow characters to speak for themselves, all or most of your dialogue concerns will no longer be a problem"
"So, did you hear what the teacher said about dialogue. I was asleep."
"Yeah, dialogue is used to advance the story."
"Ahh, and how would one have good dialogue."
"Well, you have to make sure that you're the characters are explained and described with in your dialogue. You also have to make sure that the dialogue serves the story plot, not the reader. If two characters are speaking for the reader then your play will be bad. The reader won't want to continue."
"Yes! Thank you, I don't have to go to the teacher."
"Hey, don't make your dialogue sound so forced."
"When writing dialogue you should uh, try and pull from real life 'cause you know it makes it sound natural."
"Ahem! Dialogue develops your plot and characters so yes you should use it, just use it well don't ramble on about nothing."
"Yikes! That's an interjection! What? No not that! Jeez! That, you're missing it! Zing-zing, see an interjection. Ka-boom! There's another one!"
"Well uh filler words are when you put in all those you know small little useless words that kind of aren't really words or those short phrases where you pause to um remember your point. People do say them in real life but don't get like carried away with them."
"Hey, I think I'm finally understanding how to use dialogue. It should not be forced, but rather natural."
"Oh! I think I get it. You would pull it from real people and let characters speak for themselves."
"Yes, you use dialogue to develop your characters voice."
"You can also use interjections." It all develops the emotions of a character
"Yes, this will help the story advance"
Hi guys from Georgia, umm I don't know what this assignemnt is about but I just wanted to say wassup fam. I'm still here low key. ANYYWAY HI! So I know what an interjection is I can give you an example Craddock cause I know you doubt me.
"oops I spilled my milk." EXAMPLE BAM
Please let me back like I really miss you guys and I'm the abnormal kid that has a whole bunch of English creits.
"Hey Justice read the blog before you comment." See bam watched all of those ten otta ten videos.
“Oh my gosh! Dialogue isn’t even that hard to write.”
“Is it really? Tell me about.”
“Well, it has to keep the reader intrigued. You shouldn’t use filler words such as ‘like, oh, um, uh.’ You don’t need any of that, it’s really unnecessary in your scripts. The dialogue has to be between the characters, not the author and the characters. You need to show the story instead of telling the audience.”
“So, is there anything else I should know about writing plays?”
“There is so much more about writing plays, it’s hard to remember everything, but my last advice to you is always have a journal with you. Whenever you think of something, write it down so that way you won’t forget. If you ever need more advice, there are other sources that will help you.”
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