An intersting essay in the most recent issue of The New Yorker about F. Scott Fitzgerald. I knew that Fitzgerald achieved early fame and success as a writer, and then "flamed out" over time, but I didn't realize that Fitzgerald was a total failure as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Evidently, he didn't write a single successful script, as he could not make the leap from literary dialogue to screen dialogue.
Well, dialogue is important in any type of work. We dialogue every day, but don't think about it.
Here's a dialogue I had just last night:
Becky: Why is it so cold in the house?
Me: The furnace isn't working.
Becky: Well, why don't you call and get it repaired?
Me: I did.
Becky: When were you going to tell me this?
Me: When you recognized that it was cold in the house.
Becky: When will it be repaired?
Me: The guy is coming over in the morning.
Becky: Then what do we do tonight?
Me: Freeze.
Me: Freeze.
See how this dialogue works? See how well we banter? See how her questions are peppered with my smart and snappy answers?
Heck, Fitzgerald couldn't have created it.
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