On Dialogue in Fiction

There's one thing that being unwell is always good for: intensive DVD viewing. Last time, I analysed plotlines. These last few days, I've been looking at dialogue.

Writer after writer skimps on distinctive speech. This is most notable in the West Wing. The patterns of speech are the same from one person to another (even to the use of "OK" as a set of reassurances and power plays and negotiations). When I watch episodes back to back I get the sense that there has been a kind of alien tak...