- Create a text based on a contemporary form of dialoguing such
as an email exchange or a TV chat show. - Create a dialogue in an unusual generic context.
- Collaborate on a text and ‘dialogue’ with another person.
WHAT CAN DIALOGUE DO?
One function of dialogue in a narrative or play can be that it reveals
character and furthers the action. Playwrights often use dialogue in this
functional way. However, I am going to suggest that you think of dialogue,
at least initially, in a less functional way, so that you are not simply making
it fit in with a preconceived notion of character or plot. That way you can
be more explorative. Think of it as an open-ended exchange with an infi-
nite number of possibilities for development. Try and make the process of
writing dialogue generative—make each exchange spark another one. You
can build your dialogue as you go: write down an initial statement and
take it in a number of different directions.
A good way of thinking about dialogue is to imagine alternative
exchanges to any one question (see Exercise 1). So let’s think about some
of the possible alternatives to the innocuous question ‘What time will you
be home tonight?’ Look at the various possibilities below—obviously these
are only some of many alternatives:
Example 6.1: Different responses to a question
Q.What time will you be home tonight?
A. Six o’clock?
(direct answer)Q.What time will you be home tonight?
A. I don’t know.
(uncommunicative)Q.What time will you be home tonight?
A.What do you think?
(challenging, throwing it back to the other person)Q.What time will you be home tonight?
A.Why should I tell you? Why are you always trying to pin me down?
(aggressive)112 The Writing Experiment