S J Lee
Inkling
Remember that context gives dialogue meaning. Even mundane dialogue can be brilliant in the RIGHT CONTEXT. You create the context, the power is YOURS!
EG
"Mike. We got milk?"
Mike opened the fridge. There were only a pair of mouldy tomatoes. "Nope. Fresh out."
is this BAD? What are you trying to do? Show us they are poor Joe Schmos? Ok, then.
NOW
"Mike. We got milk?"
Mike opened the fridge. There were only a pair of mouldy severed human heads. "Nope. Fresh out."
A completely different impact, same short dialogue. SHOWING me they are crazy cannibal serial killers, not TELLING me what they are.
Don't make the dialogue long without knowing WHY you are making it so. If it is genuinely funny, that is enough. "You know what they call a quarter-pounder with cheese in Paris?" But the punchline will NEED to be funny.
If you have something profound to say, and it needs long dialogue to say it, that is fine too. But check carefully that it IS profound, and that it cannot be done any other way. Eg, Socrates' dialogues.
Check out lots of stuff like this on Youtube. Easy and free to understand... then apply it to yourself. Learn a little every day.
EG
"Mike. We got milk?"
Mike opened the fridge. There were only a pair of mouldy tomatoes. "Nope. Fresh out."
is this BAD? What are you trying to do? Show us they are poor Joe Schmos? Ok, then.
NOW
"Mike. We got milk?"
Mike opened the fridge. There were only a pair of mouldy severed human heads. "Nope. Fresh out."
A completely different impact, same short dialogue. SHOWING me they are crazy cannibal serial killers, not TELLING me what they are.
Don't make the dialogue long without knowing WHY you are making it so. If it is genuinely funny, that is enough. "You know what they call a quarter-pounder with cheese in Paris?" But the punchline will NEED to be funny.
If you have something profound to say, and it needs long dialogue to say it, that is fine too. But check carefully that it IS profound, and that it cannot be done any other way. Eg, Socrates' dialogues.
Check out lots of stuff like this on Youtube. Easy and free to understand... then apply it to yourself. Learn a little every day.
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