Here are the guidelines:
- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
thought that Spencer’s description of how there can be layers of subtext went really well with “Anything for you.” At first, Lynette just wants an affair then she reveals that she only wants it with Gail. Finally, the past is revisited and the relationship becomes more complicated than previously thought. The opening line from Gail was kind of like a monologue that makes more sense after the play is done. Gail is also feeling her age, much like Lynette. The ultimate action of Gail is revealed as being able to be near Lynette. Soon, Lynette will start asking questions about why Gail married her husband’s best friend. The more pressing questions is why she wants to cheat. It could be that she is lying about “needing an affair.” She could just want to explore the path untaken. I like how this is left up to us since the play ends somewhat unresolved. The dialogue also provides the humor that Hatcher says it requires. I thought it was necessary to alleviate some of the seriousness regarding the cheating on someone who we believe to be a good man (at least due to the information that we are given). I thought it was good at sounding like real people as well.
ReplyDelete- Ricardo Martinez Jr
In studying Spencer I am starting to understand the different ingredients needed for a good recipe. In these 2 readings I find out how dialogue is used to convey and interpret a character's action. Dialogue basically conveys everything a character has to say including theme,story,plot. Basically everything. If you have good dialogue you'll have a good story that ultimately does not confuse the audience. There is also a rhythm and sound that naturally occurs when a play is written well also. This is also important. This is called "the writer's voice. Word choices are just as important. Making your word choice clear and a working part of the play while at the same time making them human will be how your audience perceives them. Another point of interest is that emotion leads to action. That may seem like common since, yet it is essential. When analyzing a first draft, instead of cutting lines out think of other possibilities that they can be used or re-written. On the outset it may not make sense, but it is still a thought that you wrote down. Moving on to Hatcher what I learned from this week's readings was that diction, or how a character speaks, needs to make sense to the audience. Unless it is satire you cannot have a character from the Elizabethan era speaking like a rapper. The same goes with style and dialogue. If you make your audience confused you have lost them. A little ambiguity is good, but only a little. I thought the play Anything for You" used subtext brilliantly. First I thought Lynette and Gail were just good friends with Lynette having some type of mid-life crisis where she needs to have an affair. This all seems pretty ordinary until the twist of the subtext comes forth. When she wants to make love to Gail I can't say I was surprised, but I was delighted at the shock value then when Lynette confesses her love for her I soon realize that it's going to be a long term thing only to go back to an ordinary lunch between 2 very close friends. The subtext kept me looking for more and engaged.
ReplyDeleteSpiro Zagouris
Dialogue is the most important part of any work of fiction in my opinion. If you can write dialogue better than everyone, you will make millions. As Hatcher writes “when dramatists write dialogue, they often ‘worry about getting the diction right’. The reason why dramatists worry about this is because dialogue is the brain of any fiction. In this case, plays. Its no secret. If you had the best plot ever but horrible dialogue then you would be frustrated. You would know the plot of whatever you are reading is amazing but would get irritated because the execution is being done poorly. But if it was vice versa, then you would be entertained and would acknowledge the horrible plot. When Hatcher gives us an example by using the Watergate tapes, he makes Nixon’s and company dialogue much better and reasonable. But the thing that creates dialogue is “Action”. “In some ways, your characters motivation will influence more than any other single factor…” When spencer said this, I started to think of ways to hide my character’s motivation, since it calls for it in my play. The easiest way to do it is through dialogue. Like Hatcher said, I need to get “Diction” correct to make them sound real
ReplyDelete-Abel Arredondo
In the playwrights guidebook I learned the difference between action and motivation. "action is what charecters want, and motivation is their reason for wanting it. I also learned separating the action into levels can help you think of the problem in the story clearly. (pg. 53 & 54). I also learned how important dialogue is and how like Shakespeare and others your dialogue can have sound or rhythm to it (which I think will add a lot to a performance) but in order to do this you have to find your voice which you can only do by writing as honestly as you can (pg. 195). In the art & craft of playwriting, chapter nine, there was a focus on dialogue as well. Stating that te dialogue should be realistic like how in the previous reading "the janitor" the dialogue was written to show that the janitor was illiterate but intelligent.
ReplyDelete- Eduardo Guerra
Watching "anything for you" surprised me. The action of the piece combined with what I misunderstood to be the motivation was what made the eventual conclusion so interesting. It's like i was led by the hand via the dialogue and eventually, the subtext was revealed to me. I was convinced Lynette wanted an affair to have Gail notice her, and that at least was somewhat true. But then there was a confession and the "plot thickened", so to speak. Add the dramatization of the actresses, and you have a fun play. It's as Spencer warned, however it does take more than just good actors. As the playwright, you gotta know what your character wants and how they're feeling so you can correctly portray that in dialogue, but Hatcher also warns about diction and stylization. The ability to keep the characters authentic. The exclamations and arguing in "Anything for You" was very real, a reflection of a real argument. Recalling action that happened before the scene (as Hatcher reminds is just as important as what happens within the scene) was also detrimental to the reveal of Gail's feelings. Subtext played a great part in this and the way the playwright used it to fuel our curiosity is what made it an entertaining piece to watch.
ReplyDelete—Sandra Martinez
When it comes to dialogue it’s a conversation between two people. In my opinion I feel as if dialogue is a lot easier than monologue itself. In Spencer he mentions that for him dialogue is a type of language (pg. 195). Meaning that dialogue can have a different rhythm and sound other than just a plain conversation. Spencer f or example uses Shakespeare and is dialogue is more of a poetic dialogue (pg195). Spencer also say on page 195 that dialogue is a way to express everything you need to say such as theme, character, story and plot. I like when Spencer mentions that dialogue is “the writer voice” or a way of “finding your voice” (pg195). He also mentions that during this time you will be able to discover your voice and to do so its best that you just keep writing and to write as honest as you can. Hatcher, he describes dialogue as diction which its the way a character speaks (pg. 133). He describes diction as how someone would talk on a play; for example, if you were to write a play in the renaissance era the character would have a different way of saying thangs and having a different accent. I really liked the way he said that a writer needs to choose the right dialogue (pg. 134). In the way he helps us understand what he means by this is that we should attend a party and just record random conversations. This would help us see the different way we can use dictation. The only thing I don’t like about Hatcher is when he uses a lot of plays as an example because I get confused a lot when he does so. I like it as well because he gives a visual of what he is trying to get across.
ReplyDelete-Valeria Garcia
In both the readings it was said that dialogue was a major factor in playwriting. In Spencer’s reading he explains how a character’s motivation and subtext should create itself by stating, “My answer is that if all goes well, you don’t do it. It does you.” I really liked how he gave that advice to someone who asked him how they should add subtext to their writing, because it’s a good reminder that we should let our characters form their own dialogue so that they seem more interesting and realistic. This corelates to a previous reading on how not being too controlling on your play can actually help. For Hatcher he gives examples on how our characters dialogue should show some background on their own personality and the setting. Instead of making a character’s dialogue seem very spick and span, it should be more like how regular people talk in real life. I found it interesting how subtext can really change a character’s intention on what they’re saying. Hatcher gives an example with the characters Lola and Doc, showing that the little dialogue from the excerpt had so much hidden emotions shared among both of the characters taken place in that scene.
ReplyDelete-Ruben Quintero
I really enjoyed reading Hatcher and Spencer’s take on dialogue, though Spencer does refer to it as Language. Hatcher did an amazing job when it came to showing the several things a playwright must keep in mind when writing dialogue, such as subtext, keeping it authentic but cutting out the dull parts, and so on. It’s interesting how much thought goes into dialogue. Not only does dialogue express what the character is feeling, but what their true feelings are between the lines. And as with Spencer, he explains how Language can move a scene by setting a tone in it. He even goes to use the example of a person named Joe, and says that revisions are what make a play, which I would have to agree after the readings. The first draft will never be the perfect draft, there will always be revisions to be made, but that isn’t something that should hold back a playwright from persevering. I will say, though, that I wasn’t too sure how the dialogue came to play in the Anything for You 10-minute play. I was wondering what subtext there might be in the dialogue between Lynette and Gail to implicate that Lynette wanted an affair with Gail and that Gail had feelings for Lynette. It took me by surprise when Lynette pointed out that there was an attraction, but I still wonder what did Gail say that could hint at her heart’s true desire.
ReplyDelete-Kimberly Villanueva
In a play, language has a huge role. It makes up a play. There other factors that make up a play but the biggest one would be the language. Dialogue is used to express everything (plot, themes, characters, etc) in a play or in any other literary works. Dialogue can be moving and powerful. It gives life to your characters. One of the troubles I have had with dialogue is how much is enough. There is thing where the dialogue could be too much or simply just dragging on without any purpose. Each character should also have their own way of speaking in order for them to be distinguishable.
ReplyDeleteDiction is looked into when a playwright or writer writes dialogue. When it is being referred to plays, diction is “the manner in which a character speaks”. Not all characters sound the same. The way they speak could be because of where they are from, their culture, or simply because they choose to talk that way. Dialogue should sound like real life conversations. No one speaks perfectly. I sometimes would forget that. At times, my dialogues would sound like 2 robots talking to each other. When characters sound like that, the dialogue is being boring.
-Juan Gloria
I really enjoyed Spencers reading. I underlined almost everything because I thought he did an excellent job in portraying what language should look like and be in a play. One part I liked was when it says, “... you don't create a voice, you discover it.” This reminded me of all the times ive read and heard other people say how one should allow their character to develop themselves. Spencer then goes on to say that the way in doing that is to be as honest as possible. I think many people struggle with being honest which is why I believe a lot of playwrights struggle with it.
ReplyDeleteHatcher also had pretty good things in his writing that I hope will allow me to better myself in playwriting. Right at the beginning I already liked it when he said, “... he doesn't so much write the characters as listen to them.” This also reminded me of what I mentioned in the first paragraph of allowing your character to become their own person. Something else I enjoyed was when Hatcher was talking about how a writer must choose the correct dialogue. I never knew that was an actual thing and it sort of scared me just because I feel like it has to be your own or else others will know and you'll be shamed or something. Yes I know that you must write in your own style but what if you had the same stuff as other writers by accident.
Anything for You was very entertaining and even though it made me feel a little bit weird, I accepted that weirdness. It all started off fine until the twist came and I sort of had a feeling but when Gail confessed her love I was still a bit shook.
-Rebecca Muniz
I really like how dialogue is one whole meaning it is the way you express what exactly you want to say from theme to character to story to plot. (195) It is just one whole. When I read this at first I got kind of intimidated thinking about how I had to fit all of those things into just dialogue, but as I thought about it more, the more it made sense to me. I think all of these factors for dialogue is the way to reveal more about your character. Another way to reveal more about your character is through dialect. Now, not everyone has different dialects. No dialect is one and the same. This is all a part of language which is such an important factor that makes a play what it is. I liked seeing the familiarity of dialect through Pygmalion by Shaw because I’ve had to analyze this for UIL and especially understanding their different dialects. Especially on the topic of subtext and the underlying meaning of things like “I love you”. I think there are multiple instances where there is an underlying meaning of certain things which is what I personally loved about this play. One thing I love about dialogue is that there is a flow to it. Like personally for me, I had to write a dialogue for my screenwriting class and I found it much more easy to write than the monologue for this class because the monologue required me to really think about what I wanted to reveal over the dialogue which kind of had an easier flow to work with.
ReplyDelete-Faith Ortiz
I love this topic on dialogue because it to me dialogue makes everything work in the story. To me dialogue is very important as a writer but great dialogue doesn’t help if the language is there. While out dialogue is what helps moves our characters. I feel like it is easy to create dialogue for my characters but it is a lot and heavy I experienced this with my fiction class. I want to be able to have my characters tell each. I think Hatchers chapter is very interesting with dialogue which I enjoyed
ReplyDeleteandi rubalcava.