“How long are you going to sit in here and mope?”
“At least as long as you stand out there an ask me stupid questions.”
“Fair enough. Listen, Janey and I are going out for fro-yo. Did you wanna come?”
“Nope.”
“You sure? They’ve got that Euro-tart flavor you like.”
“Euro tart was Amy’s favorite.”
“Okay, then they’ve got those mini marshmallows you like to put on. We could see if they have the Red Velvet Cake flavor?”
“I’m not up for it.”
“Okay.”
“Are you still there?”
“…yeah.”
“Aren’t you going to get fro-yo?”
“No.”
“I thought you and Janey were going — won’t she be disappointed?”
“I was lying. Janey hates fro-yo.”
“So why’d you lie?”
“I just don’t want you to be stuck in the bathtub all day.”
“What do you care if I leave the bathtub?”
“I’m just trying to see if I can get you motivated in any direction — I need the shower later.”
“Thanks.”
“Just being honest!”
“Unless you’re lying about fro-yo.”
“You didn’t want me to lie about the fro-yo.”
“So you’re just being honest.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“So, in your honest opinion, I’m moping?”
“Yeah. I mean, how long can you really be sad about it?”
“I was thinking I’d get a week out of it, at least!”
“A week’s a long time, bro.”
“Bro? Really?”
“Sorry.”
“Right.”
“Anyway. I’m sorry about Amy. She seemed like a nice girl. Until, y’know, the restraining order and the pipe bomb and the fetal pigs.”
“Yeah. Thanks, man.”
“No prob.”
“…what.”
“You, uh. How long you gonna be in there?”
* * *
So, the Return serial was an entire short story done without any dialogue whatsoever. Here’s a piece in which there’s nothing BUT dialogue. Tell me, do you have a preference? I find it INSANELY easier to write dialogue (even if it’s crap) than not, and sometimes I feel like it tells more of a story than any other descriptive prose.
The Old Jones 
I love a good dialogue – you can say do much by letting your characters say it for you.
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My preference for reading is just good story. It matters little what the style is.To continue our earlier conversation, on the matter of writing I am much more comfortable with using narrative or monologue. I often feel afraid that in my dialogues the voices and personalities the characters start to blend and become flat, boring, and otherwise crap; though I think the judicious use of both descriptive and dialogue is what I am striving for.
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