My Films

Module 3 · Lesson 2 of 6

Write lines that sound like real people talking.

Real people don’t talk in speeches. Short lines that dodge and interrupt sound true, and they’re easier for a voice to say.

The steps

  1. No lines yet? Write the three or four things your people say in your one-page story. Lay them out like the sample page in lesson 1.

How people really talk

  1. Keep lines short. Aim for under ten words, and one sentence each is plenty.

  2. People interrupt. One person cuts in before the other finishes. Show it with a dash: “I just think—”.

  3. People dodge questions. Asked “Where were you?”, they say “Is there coffee?”

  4. People don’t say exactly what they mean. “Fine” can mean “I’m furious.”

Read it out loud

  1. Read every line out loud, in your normal voice.

  2. If you stumble, the voice will too. Rewrite that line until it comes out easily.

  3. If a line feels like a speech, cut it down or cut it out. A line that lectures, explains, or runs past two sentences is a speech.

Your film

My Films

Fill it in here. It saves as you type, and later lessons use it.

Do this now

Read your lines out loud and cut any that feel like a speech.

Check yourself

  • Is every line short enough to say in one breath?
  • Did you read each line out loud?
  • Did you shorten or cut every line that sounded like a speech?

If any answer is no, go back over the steps, or look below.

Stuck?

My characters sound stiff.
Use short forms: “don’t”, not “do not”; “I’m”, not “I am”. Then add one line where someone dodges a question.
One character has to explain something important.
Split it between two people, as short questions and short answers. Or show it instead, the way Module 2 taught.
I feel silly reading out loud.
Everyone does. Read it alone in a closed room or a parked car. It’s the only way to catch the lines a voice will trip on.

Still stuck? Email info@bookwriter.vip and say which lesson you’re on. A person reads every message and writes back.