Take a look at this mentor text, alongside a related text by the same author, to think about these questions and to experiment with dialogue in your own work.

Before Reading

Have you ever written dialogue before? Try it!

To prepare for the mentor text you are about to read, you might make it a conversation between two family members. You can work with a partner, each of you claiming one of the characters and all of his or her lines, or you can do it alone. You can write down a conversation you have actually had, or you can make one up.

Here are some possible scenarios, in case you need help getting started:

One character wants something and the other doesn’t.

The characters are in a fight.

The characters are avoiding talking about something.

The characters have just met and are getting to know each other.

The characters are experiencing something together — maybe they’re on a trip, cooking together, playing a game or at a party.

When you’re done, ask yourself, what was difficult about this task? What was easy (or even fun)? What additional questions about writing dialogue did this exercise raise for you?

Mentor Text: “The Missing-Piece Son” by Randa Jarrar

This essay centers on a conversation, as the opening lines tell you right away:

I don’t think anything would rattle the mother of a preteen boy quite like the words my 12-year-old uttered this spring: “Mom, we need to talk,” he said. “It’s something serious.”

There is a great deal to notice about how this writer uses dialogue, starting from this first sentence. For instance, why do you think she writes, “Mom, we need to talk,” he said. “It’s something serious.” rather than “Mom, we need to talk. It’s something serious,” he said?

Here is the first paragraph in its entirety. Notice how the narrator tells you what her son says, but then immediately parses what it might mean:

I don’t think anything would rattle the mother of a preteen boy quite like the words my 12-year-old uttered this spring: “Mom, we need to talk,” he said. “It’s something serious.” The reversal of roles; the need for him to address me. The “serious” part. These were enough, in the very short time it took to follow him to his bedroom, to completely freak me out. He’d just returned to Michigan after visiting his father in New York. Had something catastrophic happened while he was there? Had he done drugs or had sex? I hoped he’d just left his iPod on the plane.

Read the full piece, paying close attention to who talks, what they say, and how the narrator continues this strategy of varying the spoken dialogue with her own thoughts.