You’ve just finished the first draft of your screenplay. The plot is solid. The characters are compelling. But your dialogue? Frankly, it stinks.
If dialogue is your personal Achilles heel, take heart: This week we’re giving away a copy of Rib Davis’ Writing Dialogue for Scripts.
“Generally it is the dialogue that cements a script, that holds it together,” writes Davis in the preface. “This book takes a microscope to that cement, and then uses the findings to provide not only some insights into how dialogue works, but also a better understanding of how to go about writing it.”
The book uses real-life movie, TV, and playwriting examples, such as American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Mad Men, and the play Ruined. David Lane, a lecturer in creative writing at City University, calls it “an undisputed must-have for any student of writing.”
We’re giving away a copy to one lucky reader. Enter by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 12th to win.
This giveaway is now closed. We thank you for your interest.
Originally Published
Good dialogue is short, sweet and to the point. Good dialogue is not everyday speech. There are not many adverbs in good dialogue. There are rarely qualifiers like “maybe” or “I think” or words that cast doubt—unless that is what you are trying to do. Good dialogue is ONLY the necessary words to convey emotion or plot. A six word sentence is better than a 12 word sentence every time.