Weekly Writing Prompt & Exercises
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Theme -- Dialogue

Prompt -- Write a conversation between two characters from distinct backgrounds, be it social class (rich/poor), life station (young/old), or vocation (blacksmith/fisherman), and reflect this in their speech.

Challenges --
o Iambic Pentameter: write only dialogue, and in Iambic Pentameter.
o Prejudice: have their different backgrounds create misconceptions which affect how they treat each other.
o Body Language: in the narrative, use body language to add nuance to the dialogue.
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The man's breath reeked of the sea as it wafted towards Gastaun. The pungent odor, far from mild and so far from pleasant, would have elicited retching did he not find himself in genteel company. How the boor found it was unimportant; it was not going to be long given. "What is your reason for being here?"

The man palmed at his greasy hair. "You see it was Him that set me on this guppy's errand. Set me on a heading and I ended up here. I'm not sure how long I'll be shored, but the wind won't be hitting my back until He comes to get me."

Gastaun shared a glance with the other men surrounding. "Can you repeat that in such a way we would actually understand?"

The oaf roughly palmed his wool cap. "Scales, man! He sent me. I'm here because of Him and if you have a problem with it then guts to you. With him, its plank or deck; ain't no in-between."

"Your maritime messiahs mean nothing to me or any other House. If you plan to stay in this city, you'll remain with the bilge."

The man's fingers suddenly ceased their knuckling and dropped the wool cap. His face flushed and for a moment Gastaun regretted his words. But just as suddenly as the man's hands balled, they relaxed and his blush faded. He bent over and picked up the cap. "'Blessed in death are the men who care, blessed in life are the men who don't.'" Without further word he retreated.

When the man was out of earshot, Gastaun placed an arm around one of his companions and guided him back to their booth. "As I was saying, they do occasionally wander in here. I fear dissuading them too strongly would all but eliminate sport. It's as His Highness explained to me during our dinner two evenings ago: 'know your place and know theirs; but always ensure they know too.' Vedrick-His Highness-is a man of infinite understanding. Advanced in age as he is, however, perhaps talk of the future does border on disrespect. I for one prefer placing the well-being of the people before propriety." He smiled, more than the men deserved, as they took their seats. His bait set, he simply reclined as the others emphatically discussed his merits as ruler.

The four coats, their oiled heads pressed together, returned to their booth. Pontis ignored them, however. They cast their bait, but he broke the line. He was here for a reason, and getting exiled from the city for chumming up a nobleman would only keep him from completing his task. Besides, he wasn't going to be that easy a catch. He was warned the nobles would act this way; like sharks in shallow water. "To buckets with the lot of you and cast over board. Forget drinking, I'm sick to the stomach just by standing near," he grumbled and, without further incidence, left the inn. Perhaps he had been addled to think such a fancy place-The Warbler's Beard- would keep him. Looking towards the city walls, Pontis ducked his head and kicked up dirt in his wake. The inner-city was no where for an angler. Land was no where for an angler.
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Something that should be noted is, even in narrative a character's "voice" must be maintained. This doesn't become quite as important as you remove the character's connection to the narrator (say, perhaps, 3rd person omniscient), but is necessary when they're one and the same. Also, be sure to use their voice as a tool for characterization.

The nobleman, even in his speech, is characterized as callous and domineering; you can see that in the way he handles Pontis, as well as his companions. Pontis, on the other hand, is not easily cowed, and is very level headed. He's not smart, but then again those aren't qualities that require intelligence. Dialogue is one of your most powrful tools when establishing voice. Don't overlook it.