Formatting for Inner/Outer Dialogue. A bit of explanation. See next post, below, for a specific student’s example.

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Name of Student: You

Name of Professor: Prof. Schmerler

Title and Section of Class: English 1101 Section Number Here

Date: October whatever

[PARAGRAPH OF INTRO blah blah blah, for example…]This dialogue was observed by me on the A Train between West 4th Street in the Village and 59th Street in Midtown on Feb. 12. Two people got on the train and they sat next to me. One was dressed like a clown (Michael); the other was a lady of about 50 who seemed to know the man previously, but I wasn’t sure…..etc etc etc etc…blah blah.

Sarah: “Why are you on the subway?”

Michael: “Hey, stop being hostile — anyone can ride the subway.”

Sarah: “Michael, you should really get out of the way; that dancer is about to hit you in the face.”

Michael: “Thank you, wrist.”

Etc., etc., etc.

[Paragraph of further reflection and observation and subjective takeaway] This exchange was punctuated with sounds from the train. It felt absurd, at times. It reminded me of……blah blah blah.

Or, It might look like this:

Scene: The Subway; 17 minutes pass; people get on and off the train. Lots of them start speaking at once, but a group of about 5 people standing near the door are audible. The date is Feb 16, and the subway is the A Train.

“Why are you on the subway?”

“Hey, stop being hostile — anyone can ride the subway.”

“Michael, you should really get out of the way; that dancer is about to hit you in the face.”

“Thank you, wrist.”

There is a woman, around 52 years old, with grey hair and blue glasses, smiling; she eventually gets mad. There is a man, about 40 who seems to know her, though they don’t get on the train together…..

Length of Paper: 500 Words

Due Date: Oct. 24

Format: Double-spaced, typed, printed

You don’t necessarily have to use the person’s name, but do try to identify them in some way. When the dialogue overlaps, just keep going. You can also identify that another person is speaking by starting a new line, without identification.

Resources: Your textbook, Rules of Thumb, gives proper typing format for quotations. Please refer to it for guidance on punctuation. Pp 44 – 47.

Here is a link to how plays look, printed. You can use this format, too (also copied, below): http://ptfaculty.gordonstate.edu/lking/CPF_play_formatting2.pdf

the following is an example of some overheard dialogue, related by an 1101 student. It’s in progress. We put it in a clear format, below.

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Don’Asia White

Prof. Schmerler

English 1101, Section LC20

Oct. 26, 2016

Inner-Outer Dialogue (An Urban Journey)

Setting: No. 2 Train, evening.

Time: On Oct 6, 2016, 2:34 PM.

I witnessed two people, boys, on the train engaged in a fight. One of the boys said, “Is it this stop, bro?” (obviously directing his comments towards the train). The only thoughts going through my mind were, “Why is my stop 18 stops away? And why are people filled with so much negative energy?”

[Their altercation was physical. It was getting heated. One boy (the one being spoken to) punched the other in the face. People in the train were gasping, surprised. I just wanted to get off the train as soon as possible.]

BOY #1: “Oh my god, stop!”

BYSTANDER: “Get off of him!!”

BOY #2: “I need to go home.”

I don’t really know what to say. I am speechless.

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue (known as the “OWL”) has a YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/OWLPurdue

And, for future reference, there is even a sub-channel for how to use MLA style. You will need this a bit later in the semester for your Research Papers. Best to look now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Y31UrG2q4&list=PL4917D9E21FA6EDFF

As long as we are exploring the OWL, here are some exercises on comma usage that we will be doing in class:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/3/5/15

And, by the way, we ought to tell you the Rules of Comma Use! Here you go:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/

Just a reminder that I’m at school this Friday for Office Hour in the Rec Room, as usual. Please bring any of your dialogue (inner and outer!) writing that’s in progress and I will help.

This is what the Rec Room looks like, by the way. It’s near the Library, 4th Floor Atrium.

(And yes, I do play ping-pong when you guys don’t show up.)

Apologies! Thank you for understanding. -Prof. S.

This score was performed for the duration of one minute after listening to John Cage’s 4″33 and Get Lit’s “Somewhere in America.” Composers were Sadia, Herminda, Kayla, Gabriel, Anton, Basant, and Orane. The Professor was Conductor. Here is the score, to be performed in overlapping or random order:

Sniffling

“It’s really quiet”

Loud motorcycle

Horn of a car

Pen tappings

“I’m tired”

Chatter of a girl outside the doorway

Desks moving

 “Hmm” [high pitched]

AC blowing air

Pens clicking

 “Boom”

 “Wooooo”

Pen dropping

Paper crinkling

 “I wish I didn’t have to work”

Cop-car beeps

People talking outside

–

Sniffling

Binder snap

clearing of throat

Knuckle cracking

Annoying car noise

“Why are you shaking your foot so hard??”

Pens moving against the paper

Loud

Sniffling

Binder snap

, clearing of throat

Knuckle cracking

Annoying car noise

“Why are you shaking your foot so hard??”

Pens moving against the paper

Loud

[FINIS]

…a musical composition to be performed by a class of students.

Duration: 2min to 3min, 7 sec.

Performers: Class and Air Vent.

Conducted for the first time on October 6, 2016. Conductors included: Sarah, Kedania, Chris, and a reprise by Kedania. Score below.

Instructions to Conductor: Duration and overlap of the sounds executed are at the discretion of the Conductor.

Composers: Don’Asia, Val, Chris, Jasson, Ely

(Note: what you will hear are actual sounds that occurred in class while listening to John Cage’s 4″33 the previous day.

The piece, “Midway 307” — The random sounds of Ambient Classroom Silence is performed with all or any of the following (listed below).

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE PRESENT: “MIDWAY 307”

(order random)

Zipper on bookbags single, Plural – many zippers

Sighing [softly, 5 people, at irregular intervals, for 2-3 seconds each]

A C Grunting [vent, 10 seconds]      Paper fussing [2-3 seconds, may overlap]      Paper crumpling [2-3 seconds, may overlap]

Clicks of Keyboard           Yawning                                               Giggling

Whispering [loud, soft, sinister; 5-10 seconds, may overlap]

Spoken softly: “What did she say?”  DUET

Spoken loudly: “Is that so?” SPOKEN IN UNISON “IS THAT SO?”

Clicking of pens [clinkingingingitingtk]                     Coughing (generic)

Sniffing

Pencil drop

Vent

Sighing [louder]  Sighing in Unison

Pencil dropping

Iphone Timer (the annoying kind)

[FINIS]

 

I got this from artist McNair Evans’ blog.

Here is a link to Cage’s famous silent composition, 4″33.

This link is to an article that is a little bit critical of him, and embedded within it are some amazing performance links (including “Water Walk.”).

Here is Wikipedia’s entry on him.

Here is some info on William Anastasi, who creates Sound Objects (among many other things, as you will see).