
How people speak is the one thing that I find writers struggle with the most.
I’m not sure why this happens, my guess is that people are focusing on trying to be a good writer instead of focusing on why the characters are saying what they are saying.
I’m here to help with that because I have so much experience reading scripts for the studios for both TV & film, as well as working one on one with writers for the last 12 years.
Maybe it’s because I talk too much—my mom used to sing me that song from the 50s–YOU TALK TOO MUCH—lol It used to hurt my feelings a little but now I embrace it. I’m a talker. I love words so much and I always have something to say—it’s who I am. If I was a character in a show or book or movie—she would talk a lot.
I’m like the real like Lorelai Gilmore and often have wondered if Amy Sherman-Palladino was sitting behind me sometime in Los Angeles and was like “I have a character now” haha I also love SNOW and COFFEE! ….okay, really joking around.. but I am a lot like that character.
So talking is kind of my thing.
I love dialogue driven scripts, books and films, if they are done well.
Today’s TIP is to resist the urge to write in perfect grammar when your characters are speaking. I know that sounds obvious but you have no idea how many times I see this when going over other writers work. It’s like as a writer people are afraid to not write perfectly. Be careful though we do not speak in perfect grammar ever in real life so in stories your characters won’t either.
HOMEWORK—watch a show you LOVE and write down the dialogue as the characters are speaking–you will see what I mean.
HAPPY WRITING!!!
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