Getting the Most Out of Dialogue Prompts

Dialogue Prompt: "Pretty sure that's written in blood."

I love dialogue prompts because they're so open-ended. You could go in some pretty interesting directions with the line above--but only because people really say weird crap like that. You should see my commonplace book. When quotes are taken out of context, they can say whatever you want them to. Just for fun, let's take a peek into the past month and a half of Weird Things Members of My Community Have Said:

"I don't need you defending barbed wire right now."

"I'm gonna put 400 pounds on here and Philippians 4:13 that thing right up!"

"It's like trying to make a milkshake with a toaster."

"How does this remind you of a child?" "It's all the ways things can go wrong."

"Stallin' is the opposite of rushin', but Stalin was the leader of the Russians." "I wish I had darts right now so I could throw them at your face."

"I am not going to argue with you about my dead gerbil's sexuality."

...etc.

The only problem with dialogue prompts is that they have so much potential that you're not sure where to begin. So here are four things to consider when responding to a dialogue prompt:

1. The Tone. How is the line said? Is the speaker scared? Are they laughing? Do they mean what they're saying, or is it a joke? Imagine their facial expression and body language.

2. The Speaker. Who is saying the line in question? Who are they talking to? Think about the characters in the scene. What do they look like? How do they know each other?

3. The Circumstances. Most dialogue prompts put you in the middle of a conversation. How could that conversation have possibly started? Where are the characters, and what are they doing? Is there anyone else around? What is happening in the background?

4. The Reality. Dialogue can be misleading. Look at the prompt at the top of the post. What does "written in blood" mean? Is the speaker referring to words that look like they are written in blood? Are they using "written in blood" to mean something metaphorical, similar to "carved in stone"? If there is writing involved, is it actually blood, or something else? What is the speaker's motive for saying this? What is the motive behind their tone of voice? When characters lie or stories mislead, the results can be entertaining.

Have fun!