I finally gave in and wrote a scene using only dialogue, no tags or descriptions at all

I always thought those minimalist style prompts were just lazy writing, but after reading a published short story that did the same thing, I could not believe how much tension and character came through without a single 'he said' or 'she sighed', so has anyone else here been converted on a writing rule they initially hated?

2 comments

2 Comments

piper91213d ago

12 pages of straight dialogue in one collection I read. Got exhausting fast. My eyes started skipping lines trying to find who was talking. Sometimes you need a little description to ground the reader, even if it's just "he paused" or "she looked away." Pure dialogue can work in short bursts but a whole scene feels like listening to a radio with bad reception.

rowan213d ago

@piper912 TWELVE PAGES of straight dialogue? That's INSANE.