TIL a writing prompt from a guy at a bus stop in Austin changed how I write dialogue

I was waiting for the 803 in downtown Austin and this older guy just started telling me about his dog who died 10 years ago. He said 'She used to steal my socks and lay them on my shoes like she was trying to help me pack.' That one specific detail made me realize my characters talk way too generic. Has anyone else had a random stranger say something that stuck in your head and made you rewrite a whole scene?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery_foster3113h ago

Honestly, I gotta push back a little on the 'changed how I write dialogue' part. That dog story is great, for sure, super specific and real, but I don't think one random line from a stranger is gonna fix generic dialogue. Tbh, I've had strangers say way weirder stuff that I tried to jam into a scene and it just clashed with the character's voice. Like, a dude at a gas station once told me about his wife who hated butter, and it just sounded forced when I tried to use it for a character who doesn't talk about butter.

marywells11h ago

Understand exactly what you're saying. Sometimes those perfect little details just don't fit the character you've built, no matter how good they sound on their own.

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