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Dredd dialogue

Started by GordonR, 30 October, 2001, 01:15:42 AM

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GordonR

The trick to writing Dredd dialogue is as follows:

Write your deathless piece of Dredd dialogue.  Now look at it again.  Go through it, and TAKE OUT HALF THE WORDS.  More, if possible.  All of them, if you can get away with it.  Verbose, Dredd ain't.

Take, for example, this gem of stilted awfulness from someone's failed Helter Skelter rewrite:

Perp - " You'll never take me alive lawdog!"
Dredd casually kills him.
Dredd - " I guess you are probably right."


Now put it through the Official Dredd Dialogue Method, and we get:

Perp - " You'll never take me alive lawdog!"
Dredd casually kills him.
Dredd - " Guess you're right, creep."

Note, 'creep' is optional.  Can't do much about the perp's god-awful dialogue or the problems with that 'Dredd casually kills him' bit, but at least it's starting to sound more like Dredd, no?





Jim_Campbell

> TAKE OUT HALF THE WORDS.

Precisely my point. The point I have been _attempting_ to explain to the Scoj-meister in mind-numbing, brain-meltingly tedious detail over the course of about a million posts.

But hey, what do I know? What do you know? People have paid us for our words ...

Cheers

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

pauljholden

I am reminded somewhat of Messers Morcambe and Wise to wit:

scojo: "I am using all of the correct words, but not neccessarily in the correct order."

I admire your tenaciousness, Jim, but really, if he can't see what the difference (when it comes to writing DIALOGUE) between "IT IS" and "IT'S" it's fairly pointless trying to pursue it.

So far he's chosen to pick out bits of posts that suit him (or that he thinks he can answer) and blatently ignore everything else. Despite explanations that have come out of big book of "WRITING DIALOG IN COMICS for DUMMIES" he just doesn't get it. Probably best to let him get on with it. I would suggest though, that this forum is inappropriate for posting either movie scripts or alternative dredd storys -- there are other, better venues for this.

Let's hope we can look forward to a fictionless forum in the near future!


Thread Zero

But this is so trivial.

I cannot believe this is the best way you can criticise my work.

Because I say "I guess you are probably right" instead of "guess you are right."

Can't you see how foolish you are nitpicking over trivial words?

If this is the best you can do, it is pretty pathetic.

Next you will say it is "I'm The Law" not" I am the law."

Gimme a break!

scojo


Thread Zero

Your argument is pathetic.


See my last thread.

I am the law.

I'm the law.

Yawn.

scojo


Leigh S

You are winding Jim up aren't you, Scojo?

You're not really honestly saying that after being hit over the head with the simplest concept (make your dialogue realistic and snappy) you still can't get what Jim is trying to say?

But perhaps your right - dialogue? Thats trivial! Pacing? Who needs it! Characterisation? A mere inconvenience!

"How to write Comics the Scojo way" - order your copy now.  First 100 orders come with a bucket of sand that you can stick your head in....





Thread Zero

You're not really honestly saying that after being hit over the head with the simplest concept (make your dialogue realistic and snappy) you still can't get what Jim is trying to say?
But my dialogue was snappy.

Realistic?

Next he will be saying Judge Death is real....

scojo who still can't find Grud in the dictionary