Character Voice and Dynamic Dialogue

Introduction

“I write plays because writing dialogue is the only respectable way of contradicting yourself. I put a position, rebut it, refute the rebuttal, and rebut the refutation.” - Tom Stoppard

Character and Dialogue make up one third of the six Aristotelian elements of drama. It is crucial that the words spoken by the characters are reflective of the character’s lives and context of the world of the play. It is also important that for the dialogue to be effective, it must be address the conflict inherent in the script. In fact, the dialogue itself should often be in conflict as all characters want different things. In order to achieve this effective and engaging dialogue, the playwright must make concrete decisions about who the characters are and what the characters want.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Character Voice: In this microlesson, you will explore various ways to study your character’s inner life for the purpose of creating a unique and justified character voice.

Dynamic Dialogue: In this lesson, we will look at how the character research established in character development can be used in conjunction with the mechanics of the plot to establish truly active dialogue.