Editing Dialogue

THE PLAYWRITING SEMINARS > WORKING > EDITING > DIALOGUE >

'. . . when the line
got too long she'd reach
one sudden black foreleg down
and paw at the moving hand . . .'

-- Philip Levine, from A Theory of Prosody

• False Monologues condensing dialogue.

• Hidden Monologues disguised as dialogue.

• Spoken Subtext giving away what characters really think.

• Talking-to-Yourself Lines critiquing what you've just written.

• Transition Lines telegraphing where you're headed next.

• Variant Lines trying out versions of the same line.