Warning: Found a trick for writing dialog that actually fixed my scenes

I kept writing conversations where everyone sounded the same until I tried reading each character's lines out loud with a different accent or voice. Turned out my detective and my villain both talked like boring accountants from Omaha. Has anyone else used a weird physical trick like this to break out of a rut?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily_singh21mo ago

Four years of improv taught me that trick with voices. It saved my ass so many times when I used to freeze up on stage. Smart way to use it for writing though.

mark3611mo ago

Right, because nothing says "confident performer" like standing on stage doing your best John Malkovich impression just to remember your next line. I've done that, except my brain decided to channel a bad Borat impression instead of the actual character I was playing. The audience just stares at you like you've grown a second head, and you're praying the lights are bright enough to blind them from your shame. It's a creative way to crash and burn, honestly. But yeah, for writing, it's a lifesaver if you can keep the voices straight in your own head without starting a new argument with yourself.