Daily Dialogue — September 29, 2015

“I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being.”

— Stand By Me (1986), screenplay by Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans, novella by Stephen King

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Opening Lines. Today’s suggestion by Mark Jackson.

Trivia: As with most of Stephen King’s stories, this one originally contained connections to other books he has written. Ace Merrill later re-appeared in the book Needful Things (1993), although he does not appear in the film. The dog Chopper is compared to Cujo (1983). Characters are familiar with Shawshank Prison, from The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Teddy Duchamp was actually first mentioned in King’s first book, Carrie (1976), in which Carrie destroys a gas station he once worked at.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Novelists sweat over their book’s first line. How to hook a reader right from the get-go? Screenwriters should take notice. A line of dialogue like the one which begins Stand By Me immediately grabs our attention. That in combination with the newspaper article about the stabbing death of Writer’s friend sets the story into motion… and we are along for the ride.