It’s interesting to think about Glengary Glenross with respect to dialogue. The professions it showcases (sales & to a lesser extent management) rely on dialogue to make their daily bread yet writing or the profession of writing is often solitary. I’m reminded of a salesman scoffing at the complement of being called a “natural salesman”. He scoffed because it ignored all of the hard work it took for him to get good at his craft.
With dialogue and the writing of dialogue, I wonder how writers consider the conversation they are also having with their reader. Beyond the characters and plot, how do writers feel about the meta-conversation they are having with their readers?
The salesman scoffing at being called natural brings to mind Pacino’s lengthy pitch to Jonathan Pryce’s wide-eyed character. He rambles about things cosmic and minute like Rust Cohle in True Detective, saying nothing at all until he unfolds the land brocure.
I think different writers must think about how they’re communicating with their readers in different ways. It seems like Emily St. John Mandel has been bouncing ideas between her recent novels. I read “Station Eleven” (a pandemic novel published in 2014) then “Sea of Tranquility” (2022) and the latter expands on ideas in the former but is also its own story. My sense is there is a meta-conversation going on in her work. I haven’t read “The Glass Hotel,” which was published between the two but am interested to see if/how it expands on the ideas in the other novels.
Although I need to be writing something I would want to read, I usually write with a specific person in mind. It helps me focus, especially during a first draft.
It’s interesting to think about Glengary Glenross with respect to dialogue. The professions it showcases (sales & to a lesser extent management) rely on dialogue to make their daily bread yet writing or the profession of writing is often solitary. I’m reminded of a salesman scoffing at the complement of being called a “natural salesman”. He scoffed because it ignored all of the hard work it took for him to get good at his craft.
With dialogue and the writing of dialogue, I wonder how writers consider the conversation they are also having with their reader. Beyond the characters and plot, how do writers feel about the meta-conversation they are having with their readers?
Thanks for the Blab!
The salesman scoffing at being called natural brings to mind Pacino’s lengthy pitch to Jonathan Pryce’s wide-eyed character. He rambles about things cosmic and minute like Rust Cohle in True Detective, saying nothing at all until he unfolds the land brocure.
I think different writers must think about how they’re communicating with their readers in different ways. It seems like Emily St. John Mandel has been bouncing ideas between her recent novels. I read “Station Eleven” (a pandemic novel published in 2014) then “Sea of Tranquility” (2022) and the latter expands on ideas in the former but is also its own story. My sense is there is a meta-conversation going on in her work. I haven’t read “The Glass Hotel,” which was published between the two but am interested to see if/how it expands on the ideas in the other novels.
Although I need to be writing something I would want to read, I usually write with a specific person in mind. It helps me focus, especially during a first draft.
Thanks for the comment!