tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post548140774648127858..comments2024-03-28T02:36:36.432-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: The Power of DialogJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-31694539166319794872011-06-26T20:04:18.209-04:002011-06-26T20:04:18.209-04:00I know other people have tried to leave messages a...I know other people have tried to leave messages and blogger is not helpful with that. Thanks for all the messages and examples.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-60034913404522571742011-06-25T13:17:37.210-04:002011-06-25T13:17:37.210-04:00Jamesdorrwriter, Yes, I considering using that as ...Jamesdorrwriter, Yes, I considering using that as an example. It sets the expectations for the entire work. Very good example.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-10011653635498014982011-06-25T13:06:43.770-04:002011-06-25T13:06:43.770-04:00Granted it's a first line in the first person,...Granted it's a first line in the first person, not part of a conversation as such (although it can be argued it starts a conversation with the reader), but Moby Dick's "Call me Ishmeal" sets up a heck of a lot. It's not necessarily his real name, suggesting a symbolic use both possibly specifically and generically as an "everyman"; the mere fact that it is a name from the Bible, suggesting not just more symbolism but, more concretely, that the narrator is a member of a "God fearing" society.... Here we know from the start that we'll be getting more than just a rollicking sea story (no mere Typeee here, or even a Billy Budd, though that has meaning beyond its surface too).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-66884722348106807202011-06-24T17:37:08.982-04:002011-06-24T17:37:08.982-04:00Pauline, that dialog shows the type of person she ...Pauline, that dialog shows the type of person she is and her relationships with her family members.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-18847424190915170262011-06-24T16:12:29.095-04:002011-06-24T16:12:29.095-04:00In Dennis Lehane's MYSTIC RIVER, a tough guy c...In Dennis Lehane's MYSTIC RIVER, a tough guy calls his wife to let her know he's waiting outside the park for news about his missing daughter.<br /><br />Wife; "On the fucking street. Why aren't you in there?"<br /><br />"They won't let me in."<br /><br />"They? Who the fuck are they? Is she their daughter?"<br /><br />---<br /><br />"You get in there. Jesus. She could be hurt. Lying in there somewhere, all cold and hurt."<br /><br />The wife is a step-mother and Jimmy had wondered about the relationship between his second wife and hsi daughter.Pauline Alldredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00847008019331163905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-29879378796463130872011-06-24T14:52:30.326-04:002011-06-24T14:52:30.326-04:00One quote I often think of is from Alice in Wonder...One quote I often think of is from Alice in Wonderland. "Curiouser and curiouser!"Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-13176922905192381502011-06-24T14:17:25.204-04:002011-06-24T14:17:25.204-04:00Thanks for the responses. "The game is afoot...Thanks for the responses. "The game is afoot."Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-20149244029393806452011-06-24T14:12:26.109-04:002011-06-24T14:12:26.109-04:00Donnell, Excellent exampleDonnell, Excellent exampleWarren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-52932378625702002182011-06-24T13:54:57.352-04:002011-06-24T13:54:57.352-04:00Warren, I love dialogue driven books. I love it w...Warren, I love dialogue driven books. I love it when the author gives the reader credit to use his imagination and doesn't beat him over the head. That doesn't mean I like to be confused either. <br /><br />Here's a few lines from Harlan Coben's JUST ONE LOOK. I simply turned to a page in the book and looked for dialogue. See if you can't pick out the tone the author is trying to convey for these characters.<br /><br />"So for now you do nothing?"<br /><br />Daley put down the pen. He leaned forward, his forearms on his thighs. "May I speak frankly, Mrs. Lawson?"<br /><br />"Please."<br /><br />"Most of the cases--no, more than that, I'd say ninety-nine out of a hundred--the husband is just running around. There are marital problems. There is a mistress. The husband doesn't want to be found."<br /><br />"That's not the case here."<br /><br />He nodded. "And in nine-nine out of a hundred cases, that's what we hear from the wife."Donnell Ann Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07943037206984648849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-86524245517834877532011-06-24T13:01:35.517-04:002011-06-24T13:01:35.517-04:00Actually Kaye--mine is from the book. The screen ...Actually Kaye--mine is from the book. The screen version is, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Looked that one up before I posted because I was afraid that I'd get it wrong. But the truth is, I think the movie dialogue is more memoriable.E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-9393553246897249422011-06-24T12:31:30.258-04:002011-06-24T12:31:30.258-04:00Both Rhett's and Blanche's are two of my f...Both Rhett's and Blanche's are two of my favorites, too. Interesting that these are both from the screen, rather than the page. But plays and movies are good things to study for dialog since they rely on it more than novels and stories.Kaye Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596677617002735674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-80625426221442116032011-06-24T10:15:30.937-04:002011-06-24T10:15:30.937-04:00Ellis, Great. As I recall that is very early on an...Ellis, Great. As I recall that is very early on and part of our introduction to the character.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-71451432036827008562011-06-24T08:30:41.548-04:002011-06-24T08:30:41.548-04:00Warren, I loved Bette Davis's line--it says so...Warren, I loved Bette Davis's line--it says so much. And your story, Mary Beth's paragraph, is so telling. I MUST read the story. I love the character already.<br /><br />Rhett's line is another classic. Who could ever forget?<br /><br />One of my favorites is Blanche DuBois's from Streetcare: I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.Ellis Vidlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918353154644739285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-35636376576296125562011-06-24T07:28:20.881-04:002011-06-24T07:28:20.881-04:00EB, That's a wonderful, classic example.EB, That's a wonderful, classic example.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-33808929009040096902011-06-24T06:16:52.025-04:002011-06-24T06:16:52.025-04:00"My dear, I don't give a damn." Rhet..."My dear, I don't give a damn." Rhett Butler to Scarlett O'Hara <br />Gone With the Wind<br />Margaret MitchellE. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.com