Writing Dialogue 3

3.

“Well, my mom wanted him to call me,” he said, “so she made up an outrageous lie. He fell for her trick, and because he would feel guilty if I was really ill and he hadn’t spoken to me for two years, he called.”

“Don’t you think that this is a good excuse and a good time to bury the hatchet?”

RESPOND

What are some rules you might follow to strengthen this dialogue?

• Too much explaining; it's boring because it leaves nothing to the reader's imagination
• Dialogue like this doesn't reveal much about the character either. Let the person be more indignant and say things that are more "real."
• Avoid clichés, too. "Bury the Hatchet!" Yuck.