Every December, I suggest that you use your holiday parties to collect dialogue, and this year, I decided to make the exercise more formal. The submissions below were all collected this holiday season by readers, then revised into a scene. Read a few of these samples, then try your hand at crafting a piece of writing from live dialogue.
Life in the Volunteer Fast Lane
“I will be so happy when the holidays are over. I am frantic; I have so much to do.”“Really? I love the holidays. What are you doing that has you so frantic?”“What am I …
More
Family Friction
“I have a headache”“Take an aspirin.”“It won’t help. I think I need a prescription.”“No you don’t. Take an aspirin.”“But what if I h…
More
Grocery Store, December 26th
One look at the crowded parking lot told me that the day after Christmas was not going to be the quick in and out grocery trip that I was hoping for. After cruising the lanes three times, I took the…
More
The Drawing Room Fiasco
A big room.The room is decorated with frescos and the people over there sitting in old -fasioned cusions.Cups of tea are infront of the table and those people were talking merrily about their lives.T…
More
Christmas Day
"What's wrong with him?" "Is he alright?" "Whats going on?" "Did someone hit him?" "Are you alright Baby?"Everyone rushed toward the boy as his face turned beet red. He clutched his ear with the grip…
More
The Good Girl
Monika sighed and rested her head on the leather seat of the American made sports car and tried not to feel claustrophobic. She pictured the piles of briefs waiting on her desk at the law firm where …
More
Gifts on Christmas Day
"We have to wait, Ali gets off work at 2 pm.""Okay.""That's it? Okay?""Yup."I was stunned. I thought my fifteen year old daughter would throw a fit but she didn't. She threw a major tantrum the day b…
More
At My Aunt's for Christmas
I'm still here at my aunt's for Christmas, so I guess I'm "reporting live". I overheard my aunt saying to my Grandma, as if me being in the other room wasn't enough indication that I could hear her, …
More
Village Idiot Act
Dylan opened his eyes from a deep sleep to an unfamiliar view. The previous evening returned to him; the moderately short flight in the sweltering burka followed by the lurching drive in the back of …
More
Saving Pride
Sheila was just wondering where she ought to go and sit when she caught the eyes of Foi gesturing her to take the empty seat by her. Making her way through the crowd Sheila stopped to greet the groom…
More
Company Christmas Party in Madrid
In times of recession, bonuses went small and instead of a Christmas dinner we had to put up with a cocktail party, so -– unavoidably -- conversation focused on the quality of the catering: …
More
Family Party
Mary, the eldest aunt said, "why are so many of you kids not going to Mass on Sundays? We would not think of missing.Mass when we were your age."I was thinking about how Mary goes to church every day…
More
Consolation
Last Thanksgiving, my friend Bill and his wife Nancy came over for dinner. I had known Bill since college — some 20 years ago. He was an intense man, serious. An accountant. Nancy was petite, a…
More
Firm Holiday Party
RAY: Hey Samantha - happy holidays.SAM: Hey yourself. Just enjoying some of the firm’s egg nog – let me get you some. Tasty?RAY: It’s stronger than last year. Maybe the firm thinks …
More
Family Christmas
Taylor only had a moment to regard the scene before his mother’s face intervened. Her eyes were overly bright, and she looked much older than a few months before, when she’d been in New Y…
More