This document provides an overview and agenda for a class on writing dialogue for narrative essays. It includes instructions for an in-class vocabulary game and examples of formatting dialogue. It discusses how dialogue should move the plot forward and not be overly repetitive. Students are given exercises to practice writing scenes with dialogue and a short conversation with minimal speaking turns. Homework includes reading a chapter, posting dialogue from in-class writing, and studying vocabulary words.

1. Week 2: Class 7
EWRT 1A

2. Review
Framing
Variations in Sentence Length
Metaphors and Similes
Basic Features of a Narrative
essay

3. AGENDA
 Presentation: Vocabulary
 Lecture: Formatting dialogue
 In-Class Writing: Practicing Dialogue

4. The Game
• Get into your teams and discuss the words on the
next slide for five or so minutes and prepare to
compete
• Each team will send one member to the board in
rotation.
• I will read a definition
• The first team member to write the correct definition
on the board scores a point for their team.
• Teams earn participation points for each correct
answer
• The team with the highest score at the end of the
game earns not only the glory of winning but also
five additional participation points.

5. Vocabulary

7. Writing
Dialogue
A Writing Strategy for the
Narrative Essay

8. Writing dialogue
 Dialogue is an important part of any
remembered event.
 It shows what happens instead of telling it. For
example, you can say “she was so mad she
yelled at me.” Or you can show the dialogue
and let the reader “see” her mad at you.
“You did what? You threw out my best shirt?!”
“I am sorry, but I didn’t think you wanted that shirt any
more. It was torn and stained”
“What kind of ass are you? Was that your shirt? No, it
was mine!”
“But…..ummm”
“DON’T TOUCH MY STUFF! IN FACT, GET OUT!”

9. DIALOGUE MOVES THE STORY
 But we don’t just add dialogue just to say we have
it. Dialogue should move the plot, too. For
example, if we are out to dinner, we don’t write a
page of dialogue about how we decided what to
eat. It is just too boring!
“What are you going to have?”
“I dunno; how about you?”
“Oh, I can’t decide between the chicken
and the fish”
“Me neither”
See my point? No one cares about this kind of
dialogue!

10. Formatting Dialogue
 Each speaker gets his or her own paragraph: a return and indent. This mimics real
conversation, indicating pauses and so forth.
 Attributions (“He said,” “She said” and variations) should be used, but not too
much, and varied so they’re not repetitious; they can be used at the start of
quotations, in the middle, or at the end. When attributions are overused, they get
in the way; the key is that the reader should always know who’s speaking.
 Always use a comma after attribution (She said,) when introducing a quote.
 Example:
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You lit my shirts on fire? Where’d you learn that?
“Daycare.”
“What? Daycare? You learned how to light shirts on fire at daycare?”
“A kid brought matches one day.”
“I’m calling your daycare.”
“No,” I said. Okay, I screamed it, and he scowled at me.
“Tell me the truth, boy.”
I took a deep breath and let it slide out: “I hate your shirts, Dad.”

11. Write a scene in which one person tells another person a
story. Make sure that you write it as a dialogue and not just a
first person narrative; have one person telling the story and
the other person listening and asking questions or making
comments.
1. A robbery you witnessed at 7-11
2. An car accident you just had
3. A car accident you almost had
4. Catching a person trying to pick-pocket you
5. Another event you want to write about
Exercise #1

12. Exercise #2
Write a short conversation between multiple people in
which no character speaks more than three or four words
per line of dialogue. You can use minimal narration to
enhance the scene but not to explain the dialogue.
A person is walking down a deserted street
after the bar closes. He moves quickly but
unsteadily. Suddenly, three teenagers
come out of an alley. They grab him and
drag him back into the alley. Write the
dialogue.

13. HOMEWORK
 Read: HG through chapter 6. As you read,
look for a passage that reminds you of a
personal experience you had.
 Post #7: the dialogues from the in-class
writing
 Study: Vocab (Chapters 1-6). Bring: HG
and SMG