Jeanne Said:

Ideas for creative writing assignment?

We Answered:

hmm....

I am not sure what you are looking for. Are you looking for techniques or suggestions for a setting that requires a dialogue?

If you are looking for suggestions for a scene I think you might do well to look for more unconventional forms of dialogue.

For instance, a dialogue between two people who don't speak the same language. A tourist, for example. The gestures, expressions, emotions, reactions, etc. would play a much larger role than the actual words of the dialogue. A lot of material to play with if you are a skilled writer.

Or you could use letters. Poems. In ancient Japanese poetry lovers would correspond through a series of poems and responses, each playing off the poem of the other to express what they were trying to say. Again, you would have to be a very good writer to pull that off.

Using another example from Japan, recently a best selling book called "densha otoko" (train man) was published. It was essentially the transcript of a blog where an introverted man was getting advice from anonymous readers on how he could get a girl to fall in love with him (i don't recommend the book, but the premise is unusual).

Do the unexpected. Think the various elements that go into a dialogue beyond the words and intonation. Consider your strengths as a writer and try to figure out how best to exploit them in your assignment.

Judy Said:

Need help with ideas for creative writing assignment?

We Answered:

Well, you could have the story open that way, but it's actually her talking to herself in the mirror. She could be practicing what she is going to say to her lover when she hears a strange noise downstairs...

Or you could have her actually be crazy and be talking to herself or her teddy bear or something.

Or you could have her totally zoned out to where the asker has to ask her multiple times where she was last night - then she flashbacks and begins to tell a crazy story about the night before.