Writing dialogue

In lesson today, we looked at writing dialogue for screenplays. We read sections from The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting and Fargo. After this, I began writing a dialogue scene based on the scenario of a woman trying to break up with her boyfriend. I tried to apply some tips which were given in the yellow booklet. I didn't agree with all of the advice given, however there were some very useful tips:

• The dialogue should be character-specific (try covering up the names in a screenplay and see if it's still clear who's speaking).
• It reflects the style of the narrative - the way that every character speaks should 'fit' the world they inhabit and should add to the rhythm and pace of the script.
• Don't repeat information in the dialogue that has already occurred  elsewhere in the dialogue.
• Avoid dialect and writing phonetically.
• Never italicise dialogue to create emphasis and try to avoid exclamation marks.

INT CAFE, DAY


JOHN and LUCY sit together, drinking coffee. We enter the scene mid-conversation.


                                          JOHN
... so I went and asked him and it turned out that he'd never even spoken to her in the first place. How crazy is that?


                                          LUCY
                            (Unenthusiastically)
Wow, that's really crazy.


John seems irritated that Lucy didn't find her story funny.


                                          JOHN
Hey, how about we go out for dinner this evening?


                                          LUCY


I don't know, maybe.


                                          JOHN


What do you mean 'maybe', it's a simple yes or no question.


                                          LUCY


John... we don't really have that original spark that we had anymore.


                                          JOHN


And that's your reason for not wanting to go to dinner?

                                          LUCY


No, I mean... John, what I'm trying to say is-


                                          JOHN
                                  (Interrupting her)


Because it's fine if you don't wanna go out for dinner, I really don't care that much.


Etc.