The Writer’s Playground Series – Dialogue Only

Dialogue Only

• Objective: To convey plot, character, and subtext using only dialogue.
• How to Play:
  1. The facilitator provides a simple scenario (e.g., “Two people are stuck in an elevator,” “A police officer questions a witness,” “Someone is trying to return a broken item without a receipt”).
  2. The group is given two distinct character types (e.g., “an optimist” and “a pessimist”).
  3. In pairs or as a whole group, write the scene using only lines of dialogue. No action tags (“he said angrily”) or descriptions are allowed. The emotion and action must be conveyed through the words themselves.
• Best for: Sharpening dialogue, mastering subtext.

Come up with your own scenarios, or use one from the list below:

• Two people stuck in an elevator.
• Someone trying to return a broken item without a receipt.
• A driver and a passenger stuck in a massive traffic jam.
• Two detectives examining a bizarre clue at a crime scene.
• A pilot and co-pilot trying to land a plane in a storm.
• The last two people waiting in line at the DMV.
• A very picky customer ordering a meal from a tired waiter.
• Two people trying to assemble a piece of furniture with terrible instructions.
• A parent confronting their teenager about a secret they’ve discovered.
• Two old rivals who meet by chance after twenty years.
• An astronaut and mission control during a critical, unexpected problem.
• Someone trying to haggle for an item at a flea market.
• Two strangers sharing a single, tiny umbrella in a downpour.
• A captured spy being interrogated by a calm, menacing agent.
• Two people waiting for test results in a hospital waiting room.
• One person teaching another how to drive a car for the first time.
• A hero trying to talk down a supervillain on a rooftop.
• Two neighbors discussing a strange noise during a power outage.
• Someone trying to confess a long-held, difficult secret.
• A homeowner explaining a bizarre problem to a skeptical repair person.
• Two apprentice wizards who have accidentally turned their master into a potted plant.
• The first awkward conversation between two people on a blind date.
• An artist trying to explain their abstract masterpiece to a confused patron.
• A ghost trying to convince the new owner of the house to leave.
• Two baristas trying to figure out an impossibly complicated drink order.