Dem Bones

I’ve mentioned working through a long conversation with a big group of people in The Tale of the Drakanox. So here’s a step-by-step of how I write these long scenes.

First, I write it in a very skeletal draft. The “bones” of the scene, if you will. In this scene there are potentially 15 characters in the conversation, so I cut it down to two representatives from four groups, or eight characters in all. I decide things about the setting, like where they are sitting and standing, and what furniture is there. Then I sketch out the dialogue to a tentative conclusion. It will be messy, with broken sentences like, “‘Head to hornwood be halfway there’ Bettain.” I try also to make sure every character has a chance to say something, even if they aren’t leading the discussion.

Once I have the flow of the dialogue, I go back and start putting on the muscles, so to speak. I complete those sentences and add in reactions from characters that haven’t said much. Everything and everyone gets described more fully. I fill in new ideas that have popped up, and make sure that I’m not forgetting important plot threads.

The last pass brings it all into focus and puts on the “face.” I make sure I’m not forgetting any plot threads. If it seems like the dialog is too much “Zathi talks, then Duessa talks,” I’ll switch who is speaking a few minor lines. I’ll also make sure there’s good energy in the scene and have more emotional language if necessary.

After all that, the scene will be finished enough to press on with the plot.

Now I’m curious how others approach this kind of writing challenge. Let me know in the comments!

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