“What have I learned from my dialogue”

As we jam through to the end of The Quest including those participants in Go On Your Own Quest, follow the prime directive: Keep pushing to FADE OUT. But you can also start shifting your attention to the next phase: Rewriting. This week, a series of questions to ask to kick-start that process.

Today: “What have I learned from my dialogue?”

Dialogue tells you a lot about your story.

Dialogue gives you a sense of each character’s distinct personality.

Dialogue provides details about inner workings of the story universe.

Dialogue conveys backstory.

Dialogue reveals the complex nature of interrelationships.

Dialogue unveils mysteries in the plot.

In essence, dialogue is a conduit for you to go into the story.

So as push your way to FADE OUT and prepare for rewrites, embrace this idea: Each side of dialogue is a clue to some necessary aspect of your story.

Therefore another question to ask yourself as you transition into the rewrite phase:

“What have I learned from my dialogue?”

The Quest” has entered Week 24 — the last week! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s a 24-week immersion in the screenwriting process and you can do it here — for free!

Today and every Monday through Friday for the last 10 weeks, I have used this slot to post something inspirational as GOYOQ participants pound out their first drafts.

For background on “Go Into The Story: The Quest,” go here and here.

For all the previous weeks of Go On Your Own Quest posts, go here.