Sunday, June 15, 2008

This Week's Practice Exercise~

Prepared by:Alex Quisenberry
Reposted on: Sunday, 15 June 2008

Exercise: In 400 words or less, write a dialogue in which the two characters misunderstand each other. You may include other narrative or description, but focus primarily on the conversation.

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For example, here is a conversation between Jim and Helen:

"Helen, I'm home. Where are you. And . . . where's supper?"

"I'm in here."

"Hon, I'm hungry. Are we going out?"

"Jim, come here. We need to talk."

From this we don't yet see the misunderstanding, but we do see that Jim is hungry and Helen is probably standing in the kitchen. We know the characters' names, what time of day it is, what Jim's expectations are, and we get a strong hint that the only thing simmering around Helen is her problem.

In your scene, let us see each character's misunderstanding. How much can we find out about the two of them through their words?

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These exercises were written by IWW members and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its members. You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that you found them at the Internet Writers Workshop.

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