2020 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 17

A chance for you to work on your dialogue chops and win free prizes!

The last five years at this time, we’ve kicked off the New Year by holding a month-long Dialogue-Writing Challenge. It’s been a big success with dozens of writers participating each session. We all learned quite a bit about this important aspect of the craft, plus we had some fun in the process. So I’ve decided to bring it back!

Every Monday-Friday in January, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing dialogue. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to get in the spirit of things, upload your scene here in the RESPONSE SECTION of the original post. That way you can critique others’ pages and receive feedback on your dialogue as well.

To provide extra motivation for this series — to get people to WRITE PAGES — I am giving away some of my Craft classes to Dialogue-Writing Challenge participants. That’s right: For free!

The Craft classes highlight key principles and practices tied to the nitty gritty of writing a script. Here is the Craft lineup, the only time I will teach each of these courses in 2020:

January 13: Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling
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January 27: Story Summaries — From Loglines to Beat Sheets
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February 10: Handling Exposition
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February 24: Scene Description Spotlight
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March 9: Character Development Keys
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March 23: Create a Compelling Protagonist
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April 6: Write a Worthy Nemesis
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April 20: Scene-Writing Workshop
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May 4: Dialogue-Writing Workshop
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May 18: The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling
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Each is a 1-week online class featuring 7 lectures written by me, lots of screenwriting insider tips, logline workshops, optional writing exercises, 24/7 message board conversations, teleconferences with course participants and myself to discuss anything related to the craft of scriptwriting.

A popular option is the Craft Package which gives you access to the content in all ten Craft classes which you can go through on your own time and at your own pace, plus automatic enrollment in each 1-week online course. All for nearly 60% the price of each individual class. And special bonus content: 7 lectures on How to Introduce Characters so a script reader will immediately get a clear sense of who each character is… and be entertained in the process.

IF YOU SIGN UP FOR THE CRAFT PACKAGE TODAY, YOU CAN BE SURE OF ENROLLMENT IN ALL 10 OF THE CRAFT COURSES IN 2019.

To qualify to take one of my Craft classes for free, write and submit ten [10] Dialogue-Writing Challenge posts, then provide feedback on ten [10] posts from other writers. The former to get you writing, the latter to work your critical-analytical skills.

A chance to take any of my ten Craft classes, interface with me online along with the usual stellar group of writers who take Screenwriting Master Class courses, while using writing exercises and feedback to upgrade your skill at writing and analyzing dialogue…

ISN’T THAT AN AWESOME IDEA?!!!

A couple of logistical notes:

• Limit your response to 2 pages. Out of fairness to everyone participating in the public dialogue-writing workshop, let’s not abuse anyone’s patience or time with really long scenes.
• Give your scenes a beginning, middle and end. You may enter late and exit early, but provide an arc to each of your posts. Even monologues or telephone conversations, both of which we will be doing this month.
• Don’t be concerned about proper script format when you copy/paste your pages, rather the content and execution are the important thing. So as a default mode, do this: (1) Don’t worry about right-hand margins on scene description or dialogue, just keep typing until it manually shifts each line. (2) Don’t worry about character name position, rather do this:

SCARLETT: Rhett, Rhett... Rhett, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do?
RHETT: Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

Today’s prompt: Yoga instructor.

When I lived in L.A., it seemed like the town would swoop in on a particular yoga instructor for six months, then a new one for another six months, then an even newer one. Each had their own unique personality and approach to yoga.

With that in mind, write a scene with a yoga instructor. They may the Protagonist or not. How to make the scene entertaining? My first instinct: Go super New Age-y with the instructor.

Write a 1–2 page dialogue-centric scene, then copy/paste as a RESPONSE.

If you are interested in qualifying for 1 free Craft class with me, please note in each response you submit the number of scenes you have written. If today is your first one, note that it is Scene 1. The next one, Scene 2. And so forth.

Also when you provide feedback on someone’s scene, please note in each reply the number of comments you have uploaded. So if today is your first response, Feedback 1. The next one, Feedback 2.

You are on an honor system, as I don’t have time to check every response, so do the right thing!

Remember: In order to qualify for one of my free Craft classes, you need to submit ten [10] Dialogue-Writing Challenge posts, then provide feedback on ten [10] posts from other writers.

FEEDBACK TIP: As always, look for something you can suggest which will add conflict to the scene.

Want to join the fun? Here are the prompts:

Day 1 prompt: Strangers on a train
Day 2 prompt: “Excuse me, but that’s MINE!”
Day 3 prompt: An in-person conversation interrupted by a phone call
Day 4 prompt: A couple doing their taxes
Day 5 prompt: Stuck in a traffic jam
Day 6 prompt: A FaceTime call
Day 7 prompt: An intercom conversation
Day 8 prompt: Parent talking to their newborn child
Day 9 prompt: Conversation with a hitchhiker
Day 10 prompt: Asking someone to dance
Day 11 prompt: Shouting to be heard
Day 12 prompt: Disrupted cell phone service
Day 13 prompt: Reading a note out loud
Day 14 prompt: Delivering bad news
Day 15 prompt: Delivering good news
Day 16 prompt: Talking to a pet

It’s the 2020 Dialogue-Writing Challenge! Give a jolt to your creative and writing muscles… and win 1 free online class with yours truly.

Finally, if you have a suggestion for a dialogue-writing prompt, please post as a RESPONSE or email me.

To see all of the 2015 Dialogue Writing Exercise prompts, go here.

To see all of the 2016 Dialogue Writing Exercise prompts, go here.

To see all of the 2017 Dialogue Writing Exercise prompts, go here.

To see all of the 2018 Dialogue Writing Exercise prompts, go here.

To see all of the 2019 Dialogue Writing Exercise prompts, go here.

Join the challenge, improve your dialogue-writing chops, and win a free class with me!