mallorys_camera | Writing Dialogue

Only managed to crank out 600 words on the WiP yesterday.

Making things up is hard. There's a momentum memories have that one's imagination does not have.

In particular, writing dialogue is hard. You have to do a lot of talking to yourself.

I'm facing two scenes right now that are dialogue-heavy. First is a bantering telephone conversation with Neal. Has to be sprightly & amusing. What plot-critical info does the conversation need to include? Possibly Neal's developing relationship with Mimi since Mimi's suicide attempt will be an important plot point in Part 3. But I'm really throwing the conversation in there to denote the intimacy of Neal & Grazia's relationship, since shortly he will be rescuing her from the New Millennium Kingdom.

Second is a bantering exchange between Grazia and Debbie Reynolds, the nurse who orients her to the care of COVID patients in the ICU. This has to establish instant, strong rapport: Debbie Reynolds' death is what catalyzes Grazia's breakdown. The two nurses share a very black sense of humor. This scene also has to be chock-full of gruesome ICU status detail. A challenge!

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Other than that, I did very, very little yesterday.

It's bright & sunny outside! It may even break freezing today!

But I'm a wimp. Freezing or below is generally too cold for me to contemplate solo outdoor activities.