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You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > Literary Merit > Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.
Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77823] Sun, 23 May 2021 20:27 Go to next message
James Matthews is currently offline  James Matthews

Toe is in the water
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: May 2015
Messages: 93



Hi All

I am trying something completely new with my next project. I am very interested to know everyones thoughts on a Dialog only story?I have started a transcript style story called "The Sessions" . It is set in a single room and is a conversation between a Consulting Physiatrist and a Patient who has Depression and Anxiety issues after getting out of a violent relationship. Instead of Chapters I am using "Visits'' which will contain the entire conversation between the two people. After the visit I will display the Doctor's notes which have been taken while the conversation took place.But as I say, it will be in entirely dialog and no fillings. I'm interested to know if people have read these types of stories before and how you got on with them?

Many thanks
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77825 is a reply to message #77823] Mon, 24 May 2021 14:16 Go to previous messageGo to next message
joecasey is currently offline  joecasey

Toe is in the water
Location: American Midwest
Registered: December 2017
Messages: 44



There was a series of stories on GA that were pretty much online sex chats between two guys; I think they were dialog-only. They got a bit tedious, if only because of the monotony of the story line. Are you going to dispense with ", said the doctor" and ", said the patient" bits, as well? The obvious comment is this: don't let your reader get lost in trying to figure out who is speaking. If I have to go back and re-read parts because I've lost the thread, I'll probably give up on a story. That said, it could be interesting to develop a story with that kind of limitation ... rather like trying to write a story narrated solely in second-person.
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77826 is a reply to message #77825] Mon, 24 May 2021 19:18 Go to previous messageGo to next message
James Matthews is currently offline  James Matthews

Toe is in the water
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: May 2015
Messages: 93



Hi Joe,

Thanks, really interesting thoughts there. There will no he said she said. It will be pure Dialog. I've written it in a way there will be no confusion who is talking but the reader will be the critic. I think those GA stories (sex line chats) would become a bit bland. I do often think gay stories tend to have a bit too much sex sometimes, almost like it's a given. But sex for sex sake is a turn off for me. Love stories are different, and sometimes rather than a graphic portrail of sex it is much more interesting to have sex scenes off page.

Thanks for the input Joe, appreciate your honest thoughts Smile
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77830 is a reply to message #77826] Tue, 25 May 2021 20:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
cole parker is currently offline  cole parker

Toe is in the water
Location: California
Registered: July 2018
Messages: 39



I actually tried to do that myself a while back.  I wrote a short story entirely of dialog.  Fun exercise, because yes, it has to be clear who's saying what.  It took some work, but I did it and posted it as a flash fiction.  I think a lot of the fun of writing is trying something new, accepting the challenge and running with it.

This isn't the place for it, I don't think. but if Timmy would like, I could post it here as an example of what such a story could look like.

In any case, go ahead, James, and try it out.  It coudl be great, and if it isn't, well, you've learned something.  That's alwasy a good thing.

C
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77831 is a reply to message #77830] Tue, 25 May 2021 21:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13773



"cole parker wrote on Tue, 25 May 2021 21:31"
I actually tried to do that myself a while back.  I wrote a short story entirely of dialog.  Fun exercise, because yes, it has to be clear who's saying what.  It took some work, but I did it and posted it as a flash fiction.  I think a lot of the fun of writing is trying something new, accepting the challenge and running with it.

This isn't the place for it, I don't think. but if Timmy would like, I could post it here as an example of what such a story could look like.

In any case, go ahead, James, and try it out.  It coudl be great, and if it isn't, well, you've learned something.  That's alwasy a good thing.

C

--
Why not submit it as a regular story first? It may be the placve for it. Who knows?



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77833 is a reply to message #77823] Wed, 26 May 2021 15:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Geron Kees is currently offline  Geron Kees

Likes it here
Location: USA
Registered: February 2016
Messages: 152



It has been done, and well. It's not as easy for readers to follow along as a more conventional story line, but...

Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I'd say that if the idea has your interest, go with it. My only advice would be to keep it fairly short, or at least each segment. A novel written this way would be a little hard on the senses.
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77834 is a reply to message #77833] Wed, 26 May 2021 16:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
James Matthews is currently offline  James Matthews

Toe is in the water
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: May 2015
Messages: 93



I'd certainly be interested in giving it a read, Cole, as firstly it would make a change from the First person / Third person format mainstream I normally read. I am also (thanks to Timmy acutally...free plug haha) really enjoying Queer Me which has yet another style/format I've been really taken by, having never read/written. I'm not to sure if I would say what that style is as it could be deemed a spoiler so I will let Timmy reply if he wishes to divulge. 

I did do a dialog only short story ages back called The Break Up, posted on Gay Authors. But the hard copy was lost when I took it down and/or stopped writing. And again, it was never suited to this place.

Thanks for the comments Cole Smile
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77836 is a reply to message #77834] Wed, 26 May 2021 19:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13773



A dialogue only tale sounds hard to write, but not hard to read. It requires great writing discipline, and meticulous attention to paragraphs.


Ah, it's not a spoiler to tell folk that Queer Me! is a true to life diarised dramatised real documentary my own teenage years.

The diary form is unusual, but not unique. It has adherents and detractors. It makes chapterisation (is that even a word?) more than difficult. It has to avoid "Dear Diary" moments of artificilaity yet must convey everything as reported by the diarist. It gives a highly polarised view on the world of the diarist.

I'm glad you're enjoying it. Reviews om Amazon are spread through the entire star range, and I understand the tough reviews almost more easily than the ones I enjoy reading. There are also a couple of weird reviews. Those are fine, too.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Dialog only story - Looking for thoughts.  [message #77837 is a reply to message #77836] Wed, 26 May 2021 21:01 Go to previous message
James Matthews is currently offline  James Matthews

Toe is in the water
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: May 2015
Messages: 93



"timmy wrote on Wed, 26 May 2021 20:59"
A dialogue only tale sounds hard to write, but not hard to read. It requires great writing discipline, and meticulous attention to paragraphs.


Ah, it's not a spoiler to tell folk that Queer Me! is a true to life diarised dramatised real documentary my own teenage years.

The diary form is unusual, but not unique. It has adherents and detractors. It makes chapterisation (is that even a word?) more than difficult. It has to avoid "Dear Diary" moments of artificilaity yet must convey everything as reported by the diarist. It gives a highly polarised view on the world of the diarist.

I'm glad you're enjoying it. Reviews om Amazon are spread through the entire star range, and I understand the tough reviews almost more easily than the ones I enjoy reading. There are also a couple of weird reviews. Those are fine, too.

--

I have yet to read the Amazon reviews as I thought I'd wait until after I've finished Queer Me! I love reading reviews. I am often suprised how some people can rage about a piece of work with such negativity, when I have read the same story and enjoyed it. Just like the movies, i've watched some right rotters, but i'll see a review where someone says it was a masterpiece. What?? But as they say, there  is nout queer as folk! Haha.
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