Good dialog in creative writing should ping-pong between the characters.
But, what does that mean?
It means you make the reader feel what you feel when you watch a ping-pong match.
All posts by erk
Mystery, Horror, Suspense
Distinguish between mystery, horror, and suspense:
“In a mystery you might find out that a person was beheaded. This occurs before the narrative begins, so the focus of the story is on solving the crime. If you’re writing a horror story, you’ll show the beheading itself—in all of its gory detail. If you’re writing suspense, the characters in the story will find out that someone is going to be beheaded, and they must find a way to stop it.”
/ Elements of Suspense in Writing: 6 Secrets to Creating and Sustaining Suspense – Writer’s Digest
There’s always a choice
There are things worth dying for, and there are things worth living for. There’s always a choice.
“Motherland: Fort Salem,” Season 2, Episode 5
Medical Drama
A: “Looking over your resume I’m impressed.”
B: “Thanks.”
A: “Stage experience, some TV and even a movie, that’s nice. However…”
B: “Yes?”
A: “I don’t see any surgery experience.”
B: “Huh? Surgery?!”
A: “Yes, this is a medical drama after all…”
B: “Yeah, but… surgery?”
A: “We can’t have people cut into each other willy-nilly…”
B: “Haha, yeah, good one.”
A: “Hm. We do have some spots for patients though…”
B: “Eh, yeah, I’m not sure…”
A: “We’re shooting a scene right now… you could make a quick buck…”
B: “Touch me and I scream!”
A: “It won’t be many people around hearing that anyway…”
B: “I’ll call 911! I’ve got mace!”
A: “Ok! Ok! Listen… I usually don’t say this… but you and me…”
B: “Yes?”
A: “I don’t really see the chemistry…”
B: “I know, right? Like… poof nothing! Why is that? You know, like, some people… like… void…”
A: “Hm, yes. You know what… leave your contact information when you leave and we’ll see if we’ll get back to you…”
B: “Thank God! Yes! Bye!”
The Devil You Don’t KNOW
Choosing the devil you know over the devil you don’t know can be very risky, because the devil you don’t know may not be a devil at all…
Shoot Your Gun laws
“I’m a bit reluctant to visit American states with these… um… what are they called? Shoot your gun laws?”
“Stand your ground laws?”
“Yeah… those…”
The more absurd the idea…
The more absurd the idea, the more complex the defense…
Thank God We’re not Pod-people
A: (ANY STATEMENT)
B: I disagree!
A: Thank God we’re not all pod-people.
Miserable excuse for a User Interface
Simple test:
If you double click something in the user interface, the interface redraws and rearranges controls at the exact same moment causing your double click to end up on something else, then you know you’re dealing with a miserable excuse for a user interface… (Apple? Microsoft? If you’re interested… No? Why am I not surprised?)
Voting
If you have to explain why every adult citizen in a democracy must be allowed to vote, you’re having serious problems with your democracy!
Photo credit: SUXSIEQ on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC
Talkwards 