Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a love of all things literary. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California. To connect with Shan, check out her website, FB, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.
How is everyone doing this glorious Friday? I’ve had a fantastic week of writing and I hope that if you haven’t, I’ll be able to provide a little encouragement and motivation that will get you writing today.
A quick reminder about how these writing exercises can earn you a little something special as you write:
Most Fridays, I’ll post a writing exercise here on Go Teen Writers. When you participate, leaving your work in the comments section, your name will be entered into a drawing. Every quarter (or thereabout) we’ll draw names and each winner will get to submit one writing-related question for the three of us to answer. Steph, Jill and I will then stage a panel. We’ll film our answers and post the video here on the blog! Fun, right? There is no limit to how many times your name can be entered, so please participate in every exercise you possibly can!
With that in mind, let’s write!
Earlier this week, Jill posted an article called ‘Too Long, Too Short: A Closer Look At Getting Your Manuscript To The Right Length’. It’s full of tips and tricks revealing some stellar ways to beef up a sparsely-written manuscript or trim words from a hefty guy. And it gave me a fantastic idea for a writing exercise.
Here’s what we’re going to do. Below, I’ve provided you with some very naked bits of dialogue. No tags. No action beats. No description. No plot. Nothing. Using Jill’s post as inspiration, I want you to fill out this scene. Do it in the comments section here and be sure to come back throughout the weekend to encourage your friends and applaud what they’ve come up with.
A quick note: This might be one exercise where it is beneficial to wait to read the other responses until after you’ve submitted your own. The idea is to start with the raw dialogue and develop the scene entirely unhindered by other expectations. Seeing your friends’ work will undoubtedly fill your mind with other interpretations of the dialogue, and while I can’t make you write before you read, I highly suggest it!
Here it is, friends.
