enjahova

I got this idea to write a dialogue from a conversation i had with a friend. It was about race, Im white and he's black. Anyway it was pretty inspiring, even tho it was very short. So I sat down and wrote out a longer conversation, mostly of my thoughts and guesses of how he could respond (i didnt want to be presumptous so most of it is just queuing more of my thoughts)

So my idea is to narrate the dialogue, and instead of having somebody act him out (he moved away) I was thinking just be silent and react to what his part would be. I think it would be interesting because this way im not putting words in someones mouth, and the audience would just experience what ive learned. Another thing is that I set up some of it so that I seem more naive then i really am, in hopes that others can see it.

Im just looking for somewhere to express this idea, and maybe find out if this has been done before (1 person is heard in a dialogue).

Ill be looking for some responses.
-Ian

CometCatcher

i think it's called a soliloquy, or maybe i just don't understand what you're saying

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enjahova

I think thats half right. Im talking to somebody, and they are responding, but the response isnt written/spoken (in case of narration on film)

I feel this way i can tastefully write an exploratory piece without presuming anything. Also I feel it might make the audience/reader have to think more. This is mainly because I feel I dont have an honest grasp on what I am exploring, not enough to write from that persons perspective. I was inspired by a real life dialogue, but I do not wish to interpolate, but rather raise questions in the listener/reader through my responses.

I guess its like hearing one end of a telephone conversation, excep the idea will be to show the speaker intently in conversation with somebody.

CometCatcher

interseting, it sounds like a good idea, but i think the only real way to see if it works well is to see it in action

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enjahova

Yeah, I really want to try and record myself doing this, as a performance and not just writing (because in the actual script ive written his responses)

One thing I came here for was to see if anyone knew of any examples of this. I know very little academically about writing, and this isnt something you can really find in a book (well, what CANT you find in a book...)

Anyway, the internet seemed like the logical place to ask, thanks for your responses.

-Ian

lisajane

I think it's actually a monologue

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Wyndham

A soliloquy is someone debating with oneself, as in Hamlet's soliloqy, and a monologue is when one character does all the talking, but not necessarily to a "phantom" other person. I don't know that there is a name for what you want to do, but it sounds like a fascinating idea.

I seem to remember reading something with a one-sided conversation. The woman was on the telephone and we learned about her whole life from the answers to the question on the other end. To be honest, I'm not positive the conversation was one-sided, but I read it in a book called, Dialogue: A Socratic Dialogue on the Art of Writing Dialogue in Fiction by Lewis Turco. It was the companion book for an on-line course, and, except for that one example, written by the author, I found the book of little help and very confusing. So my suggestion would be to try to find it in the library or at the very most buy it used from someplace like Amazon and don't pay more than a dollar or two.

My only suggestion would be to be very careful to make it realistic. Don't have your character give answers to questions that friends wouldn't ask in real life. You know like, "Yes, now that you mention it, my father was a drunk who beat me and threw me out of the house when I was 15, and that probably is the reason why I am such an insecure person who cannot commit to a relationship."

enjahova

Thanks. I like the term "phantom" for this.
One of my main goals for this is definately realism. Part of the reason im removing this persons input is that it is fiction, but your right, I have to be careful not to sound unrealistic and ruin the effect Im going for.

Thanks again,
-Ian

Talia_Brie

It sounds like we'd be 'hearing' one side of a telephone conversation. As a performance piece I think it would work very well. I really like the ideas that come to light from the black character, the marginalised character, being silent. That's a powerful ploy, but I doubt it would work effectively in prose.

You should write it as a script and then try to get a local actors group to perform it, or maybe the theatre arts department of your local university.

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