how do you get them to talk?

Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Aurora Bell, Jul 19, 2007.

  1. HeinleinFan

    HeinleinFan Banned

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    Sarah tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. Henry was running late for the third time in a row, and every minute spent waiting for him was one fewer minute spent on her own novel. Did the man not realise that she was taking time out of a busy schedule to meet with him?

    A waiter passed by, and Sarah pulled her thoughts back to the menu in front of her. She'd ordered water, but this place was damnably efficient; the water had been placed before her almost instantly, and soon they'd be back for her order. That would mean another half hour gone, and she just wasn't in the mood. There was a legal pad in her car; perhaps, if she moved fast enough, she could grab it and finish her MC's death scene before Henry arrived.

    Yes, she decided. That would work nicely. Maybe, she thought, maybe she could channel some of her current stress into her writing.

    She had just reached down for her purse when she heard Henry's voice from the entryway. Even running late, a whole quarter of an hour late, the man was holding the door for an old granny and her - dog? Huh. Sarah shook her head to herself, unable to repress a sudden urge to roll her eyes; the man was truly infuriating.

    And his "Good morning" a minute later was shameless. He was dressed as usual for him, in a horrid gray wool jacket that he must have picked up at the Salvation Army. Blue jeans and sneakers, hair untidy - Sarah was just glad he'd remembered to shave. Henry placed the jacket neatly on his chair and sat down, smiling so cheerfully it was as though he hadn't realised how late he was. Well, she'd fix that.

    "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting?" she began, locking eyes with him. She was crowing inwardly. It had been a long day; she needed a way to blow off steam. "I've been sitting here for -"

    "Sorry, one moment," Henry said suddenly, overriding her protest. He turned in his seat, made a short upward gesture directed at something out of sight behind her. An instant later, a waiter appeared at her elbow.

    "Are you ready to order?"

    "Yes, thank you," Henry said, waving down Sarah's muttered objection. "We'll have coffee. No cream, please, thanks."

    When the waiter left with their order, Henry looked at Sarah again. "Well, that was quick of them," he said, looking pleased. "You were saying?"

    Sarah opened her mouth, shut it, and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's not as though you'd listen anyway."

    His eyebrows raised fractionally. "Oh? All right, perhaps I deserved that." He pushed his chair back and fumbled awkwardly through one of the pockets of his jacket, which was still hanging neatly off the back of his chair. "I could've sworn you said to meet me at three twenty," he said, pulling out a crumpled paper. He smoothed it against the edge of the table, then read it silently. A few seconds later, he sighed and seemed to deflate a little.

    "Well, call it an error on my part, then," he said, putting the paper aside. "You sounded like you're in a hurry, so perhaps we can discuss my tardiness later. What do you need help with?"

    The coffee arrived then, with a small basket of sweeteners in tow. Henry deftly took both mugs and added sweetener as Sarah started to explain her predicament.

    "... need to have a scene that really makes people relate to the characters, y'know, make them root for my protagonists and everything, and so far all that's come out is an infodump," she ended.

    "Mmph," Henry said sympathetically, sipping his coffee. "So, just to make sure I have it: you need - Elenor, was it? - to explain to Gregory why she's not the one."

    "Yes," she said.

    "And you have to write a convincing dialogue scene, one that describes the characters and their personalities. Because this is the very beginning, and the readers don't know about her family yet."

    "Exactly," she said.

    "And furthermore, Gregory thinks she's the perfect girl, but she's destined to die soon and you need a way to tell him and the readers without infodumping and without making your story sound all angsty. Or worse, making Elenor sound whiny."

    "That's about the gist of it," Sarah admitted. "Unfortunately, I've never been good at dialogue. I can do everything else perfectly, just not that."

    "Mm," Henry nodded, swallowing. "Well, I do have a suggestion. It seems like you're getting really stressed about this scene, since there's so much riding on it - wait, wait, let me finish," he said when she started to speak. "Okay, so you aren't stressed because of that. But anyway, I think it would do you wonders to try writing a dialogue scene about something else. Anything. Pick the most trivial thing ever - a chance meeting, a story someone overhears, a bar scene -"

    She actually laughed at that one. "How am I supposed to write about a bar? That's your thing, not mine."

    Henry looked briefly hurt, but continued anyway. "Okay, not a bar. A college party. Just pick something that interests you and write out a conversation. Edit it until you think it sounds right, and put it aside. Then write Elenor's speech. If you can get her and Greg to sound as normal as the people in the conversation you wrote before, then you know you have a pretty decent dialogue scene."

    Sarah blew on her coffee and thought about it. Finally she nodded, stood up, and said, "Thanks."

    "No problem," Henry said easily, taking a bill from his wallet and laying it under a napkin on the table. "Are you coming to the Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?"

    She shook her head. "Sorry, Bill's come down with the flu so we're having soup at home instead."

    "I'll bring over some leftovers later, then," Henry said, donning his jacket. "Well, it was nice to see you again. I really should get going, though."

    "Same."

    He paid for the coffee and left. Sarah watched him, holding the door open again for a weird-looking high school couple, who thanked him as they passed by. She would wait a moment before leaving; the coffee was good enough that she didn't really want to just leave it there. To entertain herself, she reached for the crumpled paper Henry had fished out earlier.

    It was the email she'd sent him.

    "Email sent to Henry Pentac, <tinktink@webserver.com>

    Hey Henry,

    I'm stuck with my NaNo again and would like your help. Need your advice for a dialogue scene. Wanna meet for coffee at the Mayfair Cafe down on Broad Street? I'll be there at three-twenty sharp. Call if you can't come.

    Thanks, Sarah

    ---------
    Sarah Pentac Robinson
    Project Manager
    Sierra Realties, Inc.
    <skrobinson@otherwebserver.com>"

    The coffee was gone. Sarah put down the mug, picked up her purse, and left.
     

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