#writing prompts for conversions

[akwardsilince]

Person A: "I could give you the world!"

Person B: "The fuck do I do with that."

[2tcs]

DPxDC prompt (?)

Okay I'm thinking Danny, with a de-aged Dan and Ellie, move to Gotham while being hunted by the GIW. What's the first thing he does after securing a place to stay? Why, contact the local revenant of course. This is kinda how I see it going.

“Ay boss, is someun er ta see ya.” Bob said while peeking through the open office door. Everyone knows that when Red Hood has his door open it was okay to pop in. No one has made the mistake of interrupting the Hood when the doors closed a second time.

“Who is it?” Jason asked, not even looking up from his papers.

“Says he goes by ‘Danny’.” Bob said while stepping fully into office.

“Who the fuck is Danny? Don't think I know anyone by that name. What's he look like?” Jason asked, signing off on something before putting it aside.

“Not sommun from round er. Skinny fella. He’s one a them twinks is wha I think they called em. He’s Wayne bait. Thas fo cerain.” Bob saids with a shrug.

With a sigh Jason stands up and moves the rest of his papers into one of his desk’s drawers.

“Fine. Let him in. Probably Replacement with that description.” Jason says. Grumbling the last part.

A few minutes later a young man. Maybe a year younger than Jason walked in. Wayne bait was definitely an understatement. Like I had all the physical characteristics and was marking the exits.

“So Danny, what can the great Red Hood do for you?” Jason asked while spreading his arms wide.

“Me and my kids need to lay low. Crime Alley seemed like the best place for that.” Danny said before shifting his eyes to look a little to the right of Jason's helmeted head.

“A lot of people come here when they have nowhere else to go. But few come talk to me about it.” Jason said while leaning back in his chair.

Danny looked back at Jason with a considering look before sighing and pulling out a flash drive from one of his pockets.

“Look. The only reason why I'm approaching you is because this might affect some of the people in Gotham. And now that I've gotten a good look at you I guarantee it will affect you specifically if the people who are after me come here. It wouldn't sit right with me if I didn't give you some sort of heads up.” He said while placing the USB on the desk and stepping back.

“What's on it?” Jason asked nodding towards the USB.

“Laws that make it legal for people like us to be captured, experimented on, and ended. If you want to know more you just have to plug in the USB and read through the files.” Danny said. “As for me I just want to keep my kids safe. Do you have any questions for me while I'm here or am I good to go?”

“Yeah. What made you decide that here was the best place to lay low?”

“What better place to hide than one of the most cursed cities in America?” Danny said before offering a half hearted salute and walking out of the office.

[writing-for-whoever-listens]

Random Prompts 13:

"I hate you." "Aw, that's sweet. You can't even lie to my face."

"Why would you ever do this?" "Why? Why not?"

"Are you really that pissed off? It's just a little love bite." "I have stitches."

"Can we circle back to you two killing each other with blades later? We're under attack!"

"What just happened? Doesn't matter, it doesn't change us." "Oh, sure, my tongue in your mouth does nothing for our relationship, got it." "Keep talking and you won't have that tongue."

"If you ever hurt me, you're gonna regret it." "Maybe I should hurt you, just to test your bluff."

"Fuck me." "Agreed, this shit sucks-" "Fuck. Me."

"I shouldn't be worried. Why the hell am I worried?" "Because you like them?" "Like hell I do."

"Did you two..." "Kiss? Depends on what you call a kiss. Personally, being body-slammed into a wall then violently made out with isn't a kiss."

"Get the fuck out, right now!" "What? You invited me!"

[pygmi-says-hi]

writing tips - banter

I LOVE BANTER WE ALL LOVE BANTER HIP HIP HOORAYYYY!!

Banter is a lovely addition to dialogue between characters. It means a lot of different things - sass, genuine insults, flirting....all sorts of options.

But overusing banter can make conversations sound circular. It's a fun 'fluffy' piece of dialogue, but doesn't do the best job conveying plot.

Pedantry vs teasing

Pedantic speech is basically nit-picking. Somebody who can't bear to let anything slide, no matter how small. This is an interesting character trait and one that adds depth, but if it's unintentional it sounds frustrating. Sassy characters are fun, especially when they go off in an inner monologue.

If a character has a quip for everything, it adds a layer of whiny-ness. Sarcasm is a fun way to tease and complain. Constant complaining gets on a reader's nerves after a while. Soon there becomes so much commentary it's hard to dissect what is actually being described.

Unless your OC has no sense of social boundaries, there's usually a break in between jokes to read the room.

How do I know when enough is enough?

Think about the character. If they have that wonderfully sardonic rapport with their peers, that's great! Why do they act like that? Is it a sense of humor? Is there a running joke? When you incorporate the banter, keep it in the confines of those parameters. It'll still enrich the conversation without overwhelming it.

It's a learning curve!!!!!

I like to do it this way:

write the dialogue as banter-y and indulgent as possible. When the scene is finished, I reread and pick out the really funny bits and discard the rest or move it to a different scene.

Sometimes those indulgent character moments help the really good stuff push to the front of your mind. Go for it! You know your story better than anybody else; if it's telling your story the way you want, that's all that matters.

[obsessedwithstarwars]

Bruce: How was your class trip Damian?

Damian: It was quiet and productive Father.

Bruce: I’m glad to hear it. What was your favorite part?

Damian: I learned how to escape an Iron Maiden.

Bruce: …

Damian: …

Bruce: Explain please.

Damian: A boy Drake’s age taught me how to escape an Iron Maiden.

Bruce: How did he have that knowledge?

Damian: He claims his family has a dungeon full of medieval torture devices. I believe he may require further investigation.

[whygodohgodwhy]

Conversation Prompt

“If I betray you in every time-loop, why am I still here? Why do you keep bringing me this far?”

“Because I like you. We get on well when you’re not actively trying to kill me.”

[ultravioletbrit]

“murder” - Jegulus microfic - @into-the-jeggyverse - 312 words

“I want a crow.” Regulus announces as he passes the last of a joint back to James.

Regulus and James were bored. It’s a Sunday night, they don’t have any classes tomorrow, all their friends are busy, and James had a joint left over from the party last weekend.

One thing led to another and now Regulus is lying on his back on the floor with his hands in the air. He interlocks his thumbs and is flapping his hands like a bird.

“You want a what?” James giggles from where he’s lying on the couch.

“A crow.” Regulus repeats. “You know… like the bird.” He flaps his hands in James’ direction for emphasis.

“Why do you want a crow?”

“Because they’re really smart and if you’re going to get a bird, you should definitely get a crow.” Regulus tells him.

“Who said I wanted to get a bird?” James asks.

“I did! Right now. Aren’t you listening?” Regulus drops his hands and rolls on his side to look at James.

“Sorry, love. I thought you wanted a crow.” James smiles at him.

“We should both get crows. We should get a whole murder of crows!” Regulus says excitedly as he crawls towards the couch.

“You want to murder the crows?” James asks with wide eyes.

“No, silly, that’s what a group of crows is called.” Regulus giggles and climbs up on the couch to snuggle in beside James. “We should get a whole group of crows, and we can feed them, and they’ll bring us little gifts.” Regulus yawns and cuddles even closer to James.

“Will they, now?” James says sweetly and wraps his arms around Regulus.

“Yup. That’s what they do.” Regulus says but his words are slurred with sleep and his breathing evens out almost immediately.

James squeezes Regulus one more time before he also falls asleep and has a very weird dream about crows.

[love-me-a-good-prompt]

RANDOM DIALOGUE IDEAS #17

Feel free to use any of these dialogue ideas in your writing. Be creative with the context!

"there's something I need to tell you"

"hold me"

"I'll meet you there"

"I've seen this before"

"you can't do that"

"I don't feel that way about you"

"I'm not sure about this"

"it looks great"

"I'll introduce you"

"let's try again"

"I don't like it"

"I want to show you something"

"that wasn't part of the plan"

"I don't know where it is"

"you're better than that"

"there's nothing to worry about"

"I would never do that to you"

"this is important to me"

"I was joking"

"tell me the truth"

[thepromptswhisperer]

Late Night Call Prompts

“One more night, and then you’ll finally be back in my arms.”

“Your last emergency call was you crying over not having any more sweets at your place, so excuse me for being distrustful.”

“I wish you were here with me.”

“Could you just… stay on the line? It’s weird having to fall asleep without you.”

A quick call to confirm that they got home safely.

“I know I said you could call me anytime, but… It’s the middle of the night.” 

“You’ve been holding the phone to your ear this whole time?” “...Yes? How else would I have been able to talk to you?”

“You’re two rooms over. Why are you calling?”

“Pick up, pick up, pick up.”

“Now?”

“I know we said we’d take a break from us, but I miss you. You and your love for cacti and weird bedtime stories.”

“Take your fucking late-night calls elsewhere! I’m trying to fucking sleep here!”

“You pretending that cushion is me?” “Maybe I did. But then I had to realize that it’s a better cuddler than you are.”

“Sorry. I had my phone on silent.”

“We saw each other earlier. Why didn’t you tell me then?”

Getting a call from a hospital/police station/etc. late at night. 

“Then why do you keep picking up?”

“You still there?” “Mhhhmmmm.”

“Did you really think you could run away from me, [name]? No, I will find you everywhere.”

“Can you– Can you pick me up? Please?”

“Let me get this straight: You’re calling me at 3 am, disrupting my beauty sleep on a workday, to ask me out?

“Are you alone?” 

“I know it’s stupid, but I needed to hear your voice.”

Threatening to hang up on the other every time they mention something specific.

“What are you wearing right now?”

“Ugh. I knew it was a mistake to give you my number.”

“Why are you whispering?”

“...The only reason why I did pick up was because it’s you.”

“Are you seriously suggesting there are benefits to not sleeping next to me?” “You always steal my covers! I almost had forgotten what it feels like to sleep through the night, all sound and warm.”

“Call me cheesy or a fool, but I needed to wish you sweet dreams.”

“...I thought you forgot about me.” “I’m sorry. Today has been… a lot and I– I wish I could have called you sooner.”

[mischievous-thunder]

Meanwhile Wade:

[scealaiscoite]

“did you… ?” prompts ˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍊 ꒱

⋆ “did you miss me?”

⋆ “did you eat today?”

⋆ “did you know about it?”

⋆ “did you really think i wouldn’t be able to tell?”

⋆ “did you sleep well?”

⋆ “did you do all this?”

⋆ “did you mean it?”

⋆ “did you really say that?”

⋆ “did you ever really love me?”

⋆ “did you lie about that too?”

⋆ “did you ever stop and think about how this would make me feel?”

⋆ “did you mean for this to happen?”

⋆ “did you mean any of it?”

⋆ “did you do this just for me?”

⋆ “did you even consider that there’d be consequences to your actions?”

⋆ “did you really just call me [insert nickname/wrong name]?”

⋆ “did you come all the way over here just to say that?”

⋆ “did you realise how this would look?”

⋆ “did you know i felt this way about you?”

⋆ “did you need to do that here? now?”

[akwardsilince]

Person A: "I don't deserve you."

Person B: "Then pat yourself on the back because you're getting me."

Person A: "Wait--"

Person B: "Sorry, but I'm deaf to nonsense."

[corvase]

hesitant love prompts

+ accommodating love interest dialogue :)) feel free to use <3

“how many times do i have to tell you you can trust me?”

“what can i get you? do you need water? a hug? space?”

“i’m sorry. i just don’t think i’m ready.” “don’t apologize. it’s okay.”

“i think i’m ready.”

“thank you for being patient.” “you never have to thank me for that.”

“are you frustrated with me?” “never.”

“i just don’t want to be hurt again.” “i understand.”

“can you give me a second? i need a moment.”

“don’t apologize.” “sorry.” “name.”

“it’s okay. take your time.”

“if you tell me you want me to leave i’m gone, okay? don’t ever feel like you can’t take a break from me.”

when the love interest first asks them out and they’re like i’m really sorry but no… but the love interest doesn’t mind

“would you like to go on a date?” “i could do a date.”

more promrps like this in my healthy relationship prompts in my pinned master list…

[writing-for-whoever-listens]

Dark Romance Prompts:

"I don't think it's smart to go with them." "Good thing I'm not asking for your opinion, then."

"I love you." "That's all? Darling, I would destroy the world for you if you asked, love doesn't begin to cover it."

"Stop! You're killing them!" "They hurt you, it's what they deserve."

"Should we be doing this? What if we get caught?" "I won't let that happen."

"I need you to be safe. Please be safe." "I'll be fine."

"I can't exist without you." "I'm sure you could." "I would cease to exist if you left."

"What are you doing? It's late." "I'm planning out our deaths."

"You mean everything to me." "I love you, too."

"How did you find me?" "I memorized the streets you frequent in case something like this happened."

"I want you to stay here, with me." "I..." "It would mean so much to me if you stayed."

"I don't want you to touch me!" "You'll get over that soon enough."

"You expect me to care about you when you kidnapped me? Go to hell!" "It was for your own good, it had to be done!"

"I keep thinking about it. The kiss, I mean." "Do you want to do it again?"

"Put the gun down, sweetheart. You don't even know how to shoot it." "I'm about to find out."

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry. Please, talk to me."

"They're not a bad person! Just because they aren't a saint doesn't mean they're the devil!"

"I want to stay." "Do you mean that? You tried that last time, and it didn't end well." "I mean it."

"Who was that?" "Oh. A friend of mine." "Just a friend?"

"Isn't this wrong?" "What? Breaking the law? Depends on if you find it wrong. I don't."

"At least try to look like you're having fun." "With you? Fat chance."

i'm not a big reader in this genre, so i hope these are what you wanted, anon! it was fun to do <3

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Conversation is...

AN ART

Conversation is an art in which a man has all mankind for his competitors, for it is that which all are practising every day while they live. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘Considerations by the Way’, 1860)

A FLOW

Galinda didn’t often stop to consider whether she believed in what she said or not; the whole point of conversations was flow. (Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West, 2009)

A GAME

Conversation is hardly better than a ping-pong game of opposed opinions, a game in which no one keeps score, no one wins, and everyone is satisfied because he does not lose – that is, he ends up holding the same opinions he started with. (Mortimer J. Adler, How to Read a Book, 1940)

Each metaphor changes our perception of what a conversation is.

Exploring such differences is the domain of cognitive linguistics.

Source ⚜ Word Lists ⚜ Notes & References