Talk, by Elizabeth Stokoe

Somewhere I found the book by Elizabeth Stoke about the science of conversation, or dialogue. It’s one of those books that seems to have written just for me. She writes about what talk does, how it builds character, and how you can deduce things about people based on what they say. Since I’m a playwright, how people talk is very important to me. I think I learned most of what she has to tell me, but I can regard dialogue in a more nuanced way. Since I’m working on 3 plays to submit to a competition here on Cape Cod, I’m madly reading it. I’ve put off finishing up my last two long pieces in order to read and study this book.

I was watching an episode of the old sitcom Frasier and after a piece of dialogue, I went “Aha, there’s overlapping dialogue.” That was cool.

The while thing is, Elizabet Stokoe, Talk; the Science of Conversation (2018).

I had to request that my local library buy it, and they did, except the request didn’t get fulfilled for 3 months after I made it, and I’d forgotten that I’d ordered it. But, I quickly remembered, and after a page or two knew that we were a match made in heaven. I remember when we were kids, and I said I loved something, my friends would say, “You love it? Why don’t you marry it?” I can’t marry this book, but I can buy it, which I did. So when this comes to me, I can dog-ear the pages, underline key phrases and ideas so I can find them again, etc.

Can’t wait.