Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Dialogue
A dance, a swordfight, the sparkler in the birthday cake. The breath in the paper doll. Intent articulated, relationships explored. Avoid lingo, resist cliche. Carry the plot forward. Develop the character in the darkroom, one snapshot at a time. Show, don't tell, don't tell. Each word a falling stone, a penny from a skyscraper. He said, she said. Rock, paper, scissors, quotation marks.
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3 comments:
Repeating "don't tell" has an interesting effect; it moves from the usual dictum about writing to implying that there's something someone doesn't want told.
I'm really enjoying these ones, especially as I think about the next iteration of the creative writing class I have to teach!
Mmm, love the opening, especially 'the breath in the paper doll."
Also like "a penny from a skyscraper" straight on through to the end.
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