Hello, writers. Today I was browsing through an auction online, and I ran across an auction item that I just couldn’t resist. Well, actually I could resist the item just fine. But I fell in love with the description.
Here’s the description:
Blueprints to an old house that never was built.
It’s just… evocative. And it could suit any genre.
Last week we talked about dialogue, and how characters should never let each other talk for too long or too boringly. We also talked about how characters (and even real people) have a tendency to interrupt each other.
Another tendency that real people have is not to listen when each other talk. They’re thinking about something else, or they’re distracted by something that they’re doing or something else that’s going on in the immediate area, or they’re waiting for their turn to speak and thinking about what they’re going to say next.
Or maybe they’re having trouble hearing because of the toucans.
For tonight’s challenge,
Write a dialogue in which two characters are talking, but at least one of them isn’t listening.
Show why they aren’t listening.
The dialogue can be about anything, but make sure you include the phrase “blueprints to an old house that never was built.”
Try to limit yourself to 150 words.
Write On! will be a regular Thursday feature (8 pm ET 5 pm PT) until it isn’t.