L5 Exercise & Writing - Dialogue

Make a list of at least ten different speech patterns that you hear. Next to each one make a few notes of the type of character who might use that identifying method of speaking and how you might use them in your story.

1. Slow Southern Drawl -- older southern lady, homemaker, retired, well-off
2. Jersey Anger -- yankee, rougher type
3. Fast Technical -- geek excited about their geekdom
4. Bored -- someone explaining something to someone that just isn't getting it
5. Uninterested murmurings -- a younger person
6. Deep, rumbling and slow -- older, large man
7. high pitched and fast -- female youth under ten
8. fast and urgent -- hard worker, probably professional
9. grand enunciation -- spoiled larger-than-life spotlight persona
10. quiet mumbler -- shy, young, introvert



Write a 300 to 400 word dialogue scene. In this scene reveal something about your character, that is vital to your plot, by how and what they say. Do not use more than three dialogue tags. Instead, use actions to identify your speakers.


"What do you mean 'not in Kansas anymore'?" Evan said. "We weren't in Kansas to begin with."

I rolled my eyes towards him in exasperation. I was pretty certain something major had happened back there. The landscape had changed too drastically, and this didn't look anything like the farm lands we'd been driving through. I had no idea what had happened, exactly, but somehow we weren't in the same place we'd started.

"Hello," said a deep rich voice from behind me.

I spun on my heels to face the voice, my jaw dropped open in surprise. The woman, for that is what she appeared to be, must have stepped out from behind one of the many trees. She had black skin with vibrant blue hair plaited close to her scalp. She carried a tall stick in one hand, wrapped in twine with beads and feathers. A loose dark fabric wrapped around her form, barely hiding the assets beneath. I stared at her trying to place where she might be from in an effort to place our location. She looked human enough, though the black skin and blue hair were throwing me.

"Umm, hi there," I said. At least wherever we were the locals spoke English.

She nodded her head to me in a slow bob of acknowledgement. "I am Senebe, Watcher of the Ways. You will come with me." Her speech was slow, as if she did not expect me to understand her.

"What? Come with you where? Where are we?" I asked, jogging a few steps to get closer to this woman. Evan followed closely on my heels, his eyes filled with worry and fear. Senebe did not seem to even acknowledge my questions. As she saw us jogging towards her, she turned and began to jog at a fast lope through the woods, obviously expecting us to follow her.

"Addison, I don't think this is a very good idea," Evan said.

"What would you rather do? Sit at the car and wait to be magically transported back home? We have no idea where we are and she's the only sign of possibly figuring that out. Now come on!" I said and took off into the woods after her, Evan close on my heels.