I've been a fan of the Gilmore Girls for years now. Lauren Graham is fabulous as Lorelai Gilmore. Alexis Bledel is wonderful as Rory and man-oh-man do I enjoy watching Scott Patterson play Luke Danes *sigh*
However, the show is more than just a show for me. It's research. That's right, this television comedy/drama is actually research for my murder mysteries and, no, I'm not just saying that to have an excuse to watch it. I don't need an excuse because I'm a grown woman damn it LOL. So why do I, the author of Dating Can Be Deadly and three upcoming mystery books, need to watch a television drama for research?
Quite simply, it's the dialogue.
The reason I love GG and the reason it's research for my writing is because of witty, rapid-fire conversations between the characters. So much dialogue in fact that I've heard the typical episode script is about 20 pages longer than other shows.
For most people, myself included, reading a novel that is page after page of narrative or descriptive passages without the beautiful white space of dialogue is dull, dull, dull. I crave to hear a character's 'voice'. I love to listen to them say what's on their minds as if they were right here in the room with me.
The worst though, is bad dialogue. Having characters discuss things in a forced manner or sounding like what they're saying is no more than info dump *cringe* When writing a mystery, you need your characters to discuss clues and facts but the last thing you want is to make them sound boring.
I aspire to have my characters sound just as scintillating and vibrant as those on Gilmore Girls.
7 comments:
I love this show too! Luke Danes is YUMMY!
Tanya
Hi Wendy,
Oh, I love this show so much, too. I could drool all over Luke/Scott unabashedly if he'd stand still long enough. ;-)
Like you, I enjoy the dialogue, the snappy way in which it's fired off... the whole show. (Yes, I will admit that the author in me is at least ten shades of green that I *Didn't Think of it First*.)
Anyway, I found myself grinning at last week's epi in places, and thinking, "Yanno, Christopher just doesn't 'get' Lorelei."
Tanya, I agree . . . Double Yum!!
Laura, you are sooo right about Chris not getting Lorelai. I guess we just *know* who she's really supposed to be with :-)
Hi Wendy... I followed you over from Susan Wiggs' blog. Susan was one of my first instructors and is such a doll, isn't she? I've been scrolling through your posts, enjoying them a lot.
I'll be back (although my visits may be spotty as I'm in the midst of finishing my 3rd novel, due to my publisher in 90 days -- eek!)
All the best from a fellow author.
Holly, I just ADORE Susan Wiggs' as a person and author. I've met her a few times now although it's doubtful she'd remember me. I'm always just honored to be in her presence.
Congrats on your books. I perfectly understand the deadline troubles and will try and visit your blog too :) One question though because your name sounds so familiar; did we ever meet at a conference?
Hi, Wendy. I just got around to checking out your blog. I had heard that you liked Gilmore Girls, so I filed it under "Gilmore Girls." But I didn't realize you were a writer, and moreover a novelist!
That makes me wonder, How many Gilmore Girls fans are writers? Or maybe the correct question is, How many writers are Gilmore Girls fans?
I know a big part of what I know about telling stories, I learned by watching Gilmore Girls. For me, the storytelling in Gilmore Girls drew me in. Of course, it's all part of the same thing. Because the same gestalt that makes a good story is what makes great dialogue, or a great setting, or whatever.
-TimK
Hi Tim,
You know, I bet there are a ton of writers out there who are also Gilmore fans. I agree that it's the GG story that draws the viewers in and the dialogue is great icing on that cake.
I hope you come by and visit often!
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