Common Problems with dialogue Play Writing & Directing 2-16-2017

Common Problems with dialogue Often the student playwright will make use of a narrator that speaks to the audience as characters do. THIS SHOULD BE AVOIDED The story is best told through the revelation of information by dialogue & action: what the characters SAY & DO. SHOW, don’t TELL Narration

Common Problems with dialogue TOO LITTLE/ TOO MUCH INFORMATION The whole story is not shared with the audience or there are details not important to the story presented

Common Problems with dialogue RECYCLED LINES Dialogue consists of recycled lines from movies, etc.

Common Problems with dialogue TOO LITTLE DIALOGUE We must learn about a character through what he or the other characters say about them.

QUESTIONS FOR A PLAYWRIGHT TO ASK How might the characters true feelings be communicated to the audience through dialogue? Can you think of a way to say this that is truer to the character? How does each character feel about the other characters? What dialogue could be cut without damaging the story? Do we know this by something he or she says? What narrative clues have been left out? Can you imagine something he or she might say or d, feeling the way she or he does? What is your favorite piece of dialogue? Why?