Write a dialogue that reveals the difference between what a character says they want and what they really want.

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@daily-prompts
Write a dialogue that reveals the difference between what a character says they want and what they really want.
Writing is essentially donkey work, manual labor of the mind. What makes it bearable are those moments (which sometimes can last for weeks, months) when the book takes over, takes on a life of its own, goes off in unexpected directions.
—John Gregory Dunne
Imagine your character has one final chance to speak to someone they will never see again. What do they say? What do they leave unsaid?
Write a dialogue scene where the most important thing remains unsaid. Let the emotional tension exist in what the characters avoid discussing.
Introduce someone from your character's past who still occupies emotional space in their life. Why haven't they moved on?
Your character reaches a breaking point after trying to stay strong for too long. Write the moment their emotional defenses crack.
Write a scene in which your character acts completely differently in public than they do in private. What are they protecting?
The characters I create are parts of myself and I send them on little missions to find out what I don’t know yet.
--Gail Godwin
Write about a time your character behaved in a way they are ashamed of. How do they justify it? How do they carry the guilt?
Place your character in a situation where someone else has something they desperately want. Explore the tension between admiration and resentment.
Write about a journey along a road, river, or trail. Let the changing landscape mirror the character's emotional state.
Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.
— Barbara Kingsolver
Give your character an ordinary object that unexpectedly evokes a powerful emotional response. Explore the memory and meaning attached to it.
Write a scene where your character mentally rehearses an important conversation before it happens. What do their imagined responses reveal about their fears?
Have your character write a letter to someone they love, hate, miss, or regret hurting. They never send it. What truths emerge?
Put a character in an environment that is completely at odds with their character or personality. How does the setting heighten their discomfort?
The writer must have a good imagination to begin with, but the imagination has to be muscular, which means it must be exercised in a disciplined way, day in and day out, by writing, failing, succeeding and revising.
--Stephen King