Dialogue / 181saMPle dialoGue
The following sample dialogue is appropriate for fiction or for character sketches,
autobiographical sketches, narratives, or biographies.
Watching
Clarence leaned into the oars, looking at but not seeing the pink polish on Irene’s bare toes.
The wind tore at the boat’s direction, aiming it to the east of the inlet.
“Don’t you think we’ll be gettin’ there afore long?” An edge of fear slipped into her words, bely-
ing her masked smile.
“Aye, we’ll be there soon.” A long silence bore down between them, lengthened by the distant
rumble, the screech of oarlocks, and the seemingly interminable rhythm of dip-splash, dip-
splash, dip-splash. “Yep, we’ll be there soon.”
She studied his face, his eyes averted, and wondered if he was lying. The western sky roiled.
He watched her pink-painted toes grip her sandals. No use looking up. He knew too well the
creases between her eyebrows and the worry lines on her forehead, even the weak smile that
usually accompanied her worry lines.
“We have some water left,” she said, “in the thermos here. Don’t you want a drink? You’re work-
ing so hard.” He knew she was trying to be helpful, supportive, in spite of her fears. But he
couldn’t dare stop rowing, the wind as it was.
“Not just yet. But have some yourself,” he added.
She loosened the top, tipped up the thermos, took two swallows, and wiped the dribble from
her chin. She wasn’t thirsty, and the water had no taste. “It’s still cold. Sure you don’t want
some?” He shook his head; she closed the thermos.
The sky, like some smothering blanket, hung above them, threatening. She looked over her
shoulder, allowing the bluster to wrap her hair across her face. “We’re almost there!”
He heard the relief in her voice. “Yep, we’ll make it now.” She heard the “now” and knew.ANALYSIS of THE SAMPLE DIALoGUE
The preceding dialogue, while it relates only a minor incident, includes examples
that illustrate what dialogue can do:
-^ The actual words in the conversation are minimal.
-^ The dropped endings and word choices help the reader “hear” the
conversation, the voices, the inflections, and the dialect.
-^ Sentence fragments aid in developing a natural-sounding conversation.