In theaters all across America, or perhaps the world? and throughout all of time? Actors have been clustered together as scenery, next to fake rocks or lamps, having fake conversations with each other while a more important thing happens downstage. When I was in high school, the hub bub language (which is technically called walla) was peas carrots watermelon. That’s what we were supposed to say to each other over and over in rural Oklahoma, aka the cafeteria. Peas carrots watermelon!!!! Peas carrots watermelon. I’m realizing now there is sort of a dialogue equivalent when I’m writing, and it never feels good enough. I need to get the scene from A to B, and so I toss in some spare, perfunctory words that get us there but to me it feels lifeless, watermelon, carrots, peas. With booking writing I have to be so incredibly spare, the turkey bacon of dialogue, lean and efficient, but I want to frost it, I want it to have life and specificity, and that’s the truly hard part. Carrotspeaswatermelon, Vietnam War, childhood plane ticketdimples, memories apple pie.