DIALOGUE

1. MUST BE BRIEF

2. MOVE STORY FORWARD


3. EACH LINE SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE PRECEDING LINE

EVERY LINE GROWS OF THE PROCEEDING LINE.
MUST BE A REASON FOR THAT LINE AND NOT TO ACCOMPLISH THE WRITER’S GOAL.
A CAUSES B CAUSES C

4. SHOULD REFLECT WHAT THE CHARACTER KNOWS AND WHO HE OR SHE IS
PROFESSOR, BANKER, STUDENT, COP, CHILD
THAT’S WHY YOU SHOULD WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

5. GOOD DIALOGUE SHOULD GO BACK AND FORTH
LIKE PING PONG
NO LISTS OR MONOLOGUES

6. ELLIPSES . . . USE RARELY
IF A CHARACTER TRAILS OFF AT END OF SENTENCE.

7. USE A DASH FOR INTERRUPTED SPEECH

8. DON’T USE NAME CALLING, PROPAGANDA, PREACHING
HAVE CHARACTER BE REAL, SAY WHAT THEY WOULD REALLY SAY.


9. AVOID CHITCHAT AND PLEASANTRIES.


10. COMEDY DIALOGUE

TRUST YOUR CHARACTERS TO BE FUNNY BY BEING THEMSELVES

COMIC CHARACTERS ALWAYS ARE THEMSELVES IN EVERY SITUATION

LUCY, DAFFY, THREE STOOGES
DON’T WORRY ABOUT CLEVER LINES, CREATE FUNNY CHARACTERS
REAL COMEDIES COME OUT OF CHARACTER

11. AVOID ON THE NOSE DIALOGUE

12. DON’T FORGET TO USE CONTRACTIONS IN YOUR DIALOGUE
EVEN THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND USES CONTRACTIONS

13. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR CHARACTERS PREACHING OR PROPAGANDA


14. DON’T HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS ADDRESS EACH OTHER BY THEIR PROPER NAMES TOO MUCH
JOHN, HOW ARE?
JOE, I’M FINE.
JOHN, WHAT DO WANT TO DO?
I DON’T KNOW. HOW ABOUT YOU, JOE?

PEOPLE DON’T TALK THIS WAY

15. AVOID INTERRUPTED LINES – TOO MANY GET IRRITATING
HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS FINISH THEIR LINES
USUALLY IT’S DULL
OR OFTEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THE CHARACTER WOULD HAVE SAID.
IV. YOU CAN PUT (OVERLAPPING) IN A PARENTHETICAL

16. AVOID NAME CALLING
WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS RESORT TO NAME CALLING THE PERSUADING AND ARGUMENT IS OVER
YOU’LL NO LONGER BE REVEALING CHARACTER AND MOVING THE STORY FORWARD.

17. CHARACTERS DON’T TALK TO THEMSELVES
LEW HUNTER: PEOPLE TALK TO THEMSELVES IN REAL LIFE AND BAD SCRIPTS
USUALLY YOU CAN CUT CHARACTERS TALKING TO THEMSELVES
WE NEED TO SEE THE SITUATION THE CHARACTERS ARE IN
A WOMAN WHOSE CHILD IS HIT BY A CAR WOULDN’T SAY, “I’M SO SAD.” WE KNOW HOW PEOPLE FEEL WHEN THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT OR DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT.
OFTEN CHARACTERS TALKING TO THEMSELVES IS AN INDICATION THAT THE WRITER IS HAVING A HARD TIME DRAMATIZING.

OFTEN YOU HAVE TO CREATE A CONFIDANT IF YOUR CHARACTER TALKS TO HIMSELF TOO MUCH.

18. DO NOT SPELL OUT PHONETICALLY HOW YOUR CHARACTERS TALK
USE POOR GRAMMAR IF CHARACTERS SPEAKS BROKEN ENGLISH, BUT WRITE AND SPELL OUT THE WORDS