Dialogue Thoughts

1.       i) To start off my terrible deed of eavesdropping, I wandered about the school for a few minutes until I thought “Well where do you usually see students at this time of day in which there is class going on?” and so I came to the conclusion that the front doors would be the best outlook, since students would be skipping or on their spares at this time and might want to leave the school grounds.

ii) The conversation that I listened to didn’t take place that long; especially considering it’s by the front doors, so only about a few minutes.

iii) The dialogue I heard was between about four guys probably in grade 11 or 12 for sure.

iv) Truthfully I was ecstatic to play the class’s version of “super spy” as I call it. I felt like I was undercover and I adjusted my behavior to what the situation called for, which wasn’t much. No one really expects the little girl holding her binder and writing things down to be spying and listening in to your conversations. I made sure that I didn’t keep looking at them though.

2.       Since the conversation wasn’t all that long, I gained some but it was enough. Everyone in the conversation sounded comfortable, quiet, and they all seemed to be chatting equally and the conversation was of light topic, just some joking around and talking about their days being good. I get that. People usually talk with people they can be comfortable around. Why would you talk to someone who made you feel uncomfortable?

3.       I can apply this to my writing because I know, unless the emotions or topics are distressing or strained in any way; the conversation will be very comfortable no matter the topic. I don`t have to exceedingly worry about the way certain characters will react in situations in any stories I might write if they are a generally relaxed character like the boys I observed. In regular writing, I can apply this by keeping things simple. No need to go and push things further than need be.

4.       Personality I found can really show through when you`re relaxed because of the way you don`t need to watch everything you say. Dialogue can show that you are a funny or kind hearted or whatever kind of person by the way you talk, stand, or even what kind of jokes you make.

5.       Once more than two people are in a conversation, the conversation often becomes conversations and often times there are a lot of lost words when someone might not be heard or when a topic shifts, which also happens when more people join a conversation. In group conversations it`s easy for some people to not have a word in edge wise, or for them to just get pushed to the side, depending on what you`re talking about.

6.       The most surprising thing I learned about the way people converse would have to be the way in which conversation flows. I`ve always kind of known it in the back of my mind, but never has it really been brought to the surface to me. Conversations with the right set of friends are endless and they flow smoothly and effortlessly.

7.       To me, there is a world of differences between spoken and written conversations. In spoken conversations you can usually tell what the person you`re speaking to is feeling by their posture, the look they have in their eyes and what emphasis they are making in conversation by the cadence of their tone of voice. With written conversation you`re guessing these things and hoping they mean what you think, or if not, then you have to ask exactly what they mean, but even then it`s still so much easier to deceive someone over a text or something like that than in person. Written conversation is dull when you think about it really. Spoken words bring life to the conversation.