Write on Wednesday - Dialogue Detective

Is it Wednesday? No - it's Sunday morning.
Slightly late with my mid-week submission due to my husband taking up for a trip to the snow to end the school holidays. What a lovely jesture. BUT NO INTERNET COVERAGE. Totally devestated and lost! Oh well, we thoroughly enjoyed our time away. So sit back and enjoy my latest ... which, by the way, was so much more difficult than I envisioned.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 2 - *Detective Dialogue: For this exercise you need to be a little bit sneaky. And brave. You need to be around at least 2 other people (or a small child who will happily chat to himself and/or imaginary friends). Write down a conversation/ dialogue exchange as you hear it. Feel free to write down things that accompany the dialogue (E.G. gestures, interruptions, accents) but don't worry about this too much. It is more important to capture the way words are used in natural speech. Try not to let anyone know what you are doing. It might alter the natural flow of their words (it could also be a tad embarrassing for you!). If you can get out to a park, cafe or shop like Naughty Mumma, then this is a wonderful chance to get some new writing ideas and get some practise in dialogue writing. If you can't get out (and I know this is a reality for some of us) you can copy down the dialogue between your partner and your child. Or the conversation between two of your children or even one side of your partner's phone conversation. If you are really stuck, turn on the TV and copy down the dialogue between a couple of TV characters.

We sit the children (master 3, miss 3, and miss 7) down to watch Curious George on DVD. I’m thinking “this should give heaps of good material, running commentary and giggles.

Wrong. They settle down nicely and silently watch the movie. Very civilised, but hardly what I was hoping for.

So…. Maybe we have tired them out? We have spent the day driving north to the snow, playing in the snow, followed by some games. I try to entice some conversation by laughing at a scene and asking “what will George do now?” NOTHING!

What is wrong with my children? Miss 3 is known to be a little on the quiet side, but master 3 and miss 7 never shut up on a normal day.  Maybe I should adopt miss 3 to be a permanent family member?

“Finished” miss 7 pipes up followed by her burp of appreciation for the hot chocolate she has just consumed. And … back to the movie.

Watch out – miss 3 is making a move from her mummy’s knee to the beanbag. Still, no conversation. This is most unusual in my experience as a parent

 “There’s still snow” from miss 7.

“yeah, there is” chime in the 3 year olds.

Master 3 puffs out his chest “you’ve never been to the snow before have you” he addresses miss 3. It’s not a question but a statement.

Miss 3 pouts, “I have too haven’t I Mummy?”

“But you’ve never been here before” says master 3.

“But neither have you” miss 7 says to put her brother straight.

I look around. Miss 3 is on her mum’s knee again  and is concentrating on the DVD, absently waving her hand in the air. Master 3 catches sight of the movement and copies her by waving his hand. Kids can be so cute and innocent at that age.