Drills for Skillz-Dialogue Writing Exercise

Adolescence is a strange time that calls for even stranger writing prompts. Here's today's lesson.*

You'll Need
Many squares of three different colored paper (we used Blue, Orange and Red)

A group of imaginative adolescents

Paper, pencil

Step One

Write on the blue square the name of a cartoon character or a puppet... someone or something that aims their words at children.

Collect the squares

Write on the orange square the name of a real person that aims their words toward adults.

Collect the squares

Write a controversial topic or media issue that people feel strongly about on the red paper.

Collect the squares

Step Two

Redistribute the squares at random. Each student should have a blue one, orange one, red one. Write for ten minutes a dialogue between the two characters on the controversial topic.

Be prepared for:

Bugs Bunny discussing illegal immigration with Clint Eastwood

Papa Smurf talking with Carmen Electra about gay marriage

Baby Bop talking to Ellen about mad cow disease

*This idea was inspired by a play from The Best Teen Writing of 2008 in which Cookie Monster talks with Oprah about childhood obesity.