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IWW Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: Let's Talk!

These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop (http://www.internetwritingwor kshop.org/).

Prepared by: Carter Jefferson
Posted on: January 14, 2007


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Exercise: In 400 words or less, write a scene in which dialogue plays a significant
part in showing the reader what kinds of persons the characters are.

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One of the marks of top-flight writing is believable dialogue that delineates
characters and moves the plot forward.    

In casual conversation we 'uh' and 'oh' and toss out fragments of sentences our
interlocutors understand easily--most of the time. When we're very serious, or
speaking to a superior or someone we don't know well, we may be more careful. If
we're under stress, some of us will snap while others become extremely deliberate.

But a character's occupation and personality matter, too. Educated people speak
differently from the untutored. The overbearing father will not sound like his sullen
son. Cops talk "cop talk." The shy young introvert probably won't talk like a
boisterous party girl. Teenagers often speak their own lingo.

Each of us has a distinct voice, so writers can show readers a great deal about a
character by letting the person speak. Conversely, badly constructed dialogue can
give the wrong idea.

Remember, written dialogue is quite unlike recorded conversation. Making dialogue
sound real is an art. Some writers can "hear" dialogue as they write, but others lack
that ability. They need to read their work aloud to see whether the dialogue sounds
true to life. It pays to know which kind you are.

In this exercise, focus on using dialogue to give us insight into your characters.

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Exercise: In 400 words or less, write a scene in which dialogue plays a significant
part in showing the reader what kinds of persons the characters are.

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In your critiques, be as specific as you can in describing what you have learned
about the characters from their speech. As always, critique the writing in general.


Web site created by Rhéal Nadeau and the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Gayle Surrette.