My big flip on dialogue-only writing prompts

I used to think prompts that only use dialogue were a total waste of time. How are you supposed to build a world with just talking, right? Then I tried one where two people are stuck in a broken elevator and have to hash out a secret. It made me focus on what their words really meant, and it sparked a whole new story idea. Now I lean on these prompts to sharpen how my characters sound without any extra fluff. They've honestly made my conversations way more tense and real, lol. If you're skipping them, you might be missing out on some easy practice.

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4 Comments

evan4897mo ago

Yeah, that elevator example is perfect. I've found the real magic happens when you can't rely on describing a clenched fist or a nervous glance. You have to bake all that tension right into what they're saying, or what they're avoiding saying. It forces you to figure out how a character's word choice or their silence shows they're scared, or lying, or in charge.

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sethblack7mo ago

Sure, the "magic" evan489 talks about is fine, but not every conversation needs to be a tense mind game. Sometimes people just talk about the weather.

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beth1476mo ago

What, no subtext in your grocery list?

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rileyd437mo ago

So you're saying we should all become mind readers now. Because nothing says tension like two people carefully not mentioning the elephant in the room. Guess I'll go rewrite my grocery list with more subtext.

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