"When I think of my wife, I always think of the back of her head. I picture cracking her lovely skull, unspooling her brain, trying to get answers." Nick Dunne in the film of Gone Girl
This is so helpful! Bringing dimensions of intention, emotion and tension together with crisp, moulded dialog; listening more carefully. Thank you!
BTW, you cite one of the most haunting films I know in Ripley (and for which a hat-tip goes to Sinéad’s disturbing lullaby), those very lines part of the accumulating menace. Gulp!
Incidentally, writing good dialogue isn't just for fiction. I'm reading 'Is a River Alive?' by Robert Macfarlane and his dialogue is an excellent example of how to a) differentiate between different voices, b) move the story forward, and c) has and does all the things mentioned above - it's natural yet polished, it's purposeful, and there's subtext. It's also often informative and funny.
For example:
'Well, duh, that's going to be a short book then, Dad, because the answer is yes!'
'Rob! Wooo-hooo! Come here—Xylaria! look at those thin black fingers.'
'Why the hell aren't you in rubber boots like I told you? Get to the hosepipe and wash the filth off.'
'The name of that spirit translates as "Seven Penises".'
This is so helpful! Bringing dimensions of intention, emotion and tension together with crisp, moulded dialog; listening more carefully. Thank you!
BTW, you cite one of the most haunting films I know in Ripley (and for which a hat-tip goes to Sinéad’s disturbing lullaby), those very lines part of the accumulating menace. Gulp!
Thank you for this, Sanjida! Super-useful and I'll be sending students over!
Thank you Emma!
Incidentally, writing good dialogue isn't just for fiction. I'm reading 'Is a River Alive?' by Robert Macfarlane and his dialogue is an excellent example of how to a) differentiate between different voices, b) move the story forward, and c) has and does all the things mentioned above - it's natural yet polished, it's purposeful, and there's subtext. It's also often informative and funny.
For example:
'Well, duh, that's going to be a short book then, Dad, because the answer is yes!'
'Rob! Wooo-hooo! Come here—Xylaria! look at those thin black fingers.'
'Why the hell aren't you in rubber boots like I told you? Get to the hosepipe and wash the filth off.'
'The name of that spirit translates as "Seven Penises".'
🌟 🍄