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Writing an Argument Exercise

Two people. One fight. From memory.

This is a dramatic exercise. We're going to take fights, tiffs, and spats we've had, and write them out from memory. Then we'll edit them. We'll either embellish or tighten. It should be very easy.

It can be painful. Sometimes it's very funny, seeing how we fight, dissociated from the outside. This isn't so different from doing psychodrama in therapy, where you try to recreate your fights to get perspective on your side and the [ahem…] 'adversary's' side.

I'm bad at understanding writing theory – when Aristotle uses phrases like 'unity of space and time', 'climax' and Freytag draws his triangle, I get lost. There are usually simpler (dumber?) ways to say things. I think all Aristotle meant was no flashbacks, keep it in one place, don't confuse people. KISS - keep it simple, stupid (something a Marine who loved to plein air paint in the style of Seurat told me about his 4-color palette). Then I read something by David Mamet. And I don't remember where – if it was his masterclass, or his book Bambi vs. godzilla or some other stupid resource I spend my time procrastinating with… but he says that there is nothing more to the sometimes-fuzzy concept of 'dramatic tension' than 'It's just two people arguing!'. This was the simplest thing I had ever heard! Two people arguing! I know what that looks like!

We're going to be taking from memory, so that it's automatic. My friend Daniel who is very dear to me, has always been skeptical of the autofiction tradition – he says, 'fiction is about imagination, about empathy for others, not solipsistic, narcissistic navel gazing.' – he's very critical of the 'don't write about people unlike yourself' scoldery.

I'm totally with him about imagination and empathy – but I also find great value in mining your autobio. My partner, love of my life, and very talented writer/filmmaker/editor/producer Margarida always criticizes my non autobiographical work as 'artificial, fake, not buyable' – she would just say 'why are you writing about football players, you don't know anything about futebol!'

And I agree with her- there is something magical and profound in autobiographical 'grafting' – in copying from what happened to you – if you get detailed enough, if you're precise enough with the words and pacing, every word seems to contain a concealed iceberg of subtext – because we as humans are very intelligent and we're often communicating in mostly non-verbal ways – and these are hard to just invent on a page.

So – if you're willing to go with me for an hour… let's get to it.

Temp Title

Set Your Pace

Choose time for brainstorming vs. writing. You can pause the timer anytime.

~9 min per step
Split across Steps 6–7
Step 1 of 10
Let's come up with characters!
The next few pages we're going to list people. List people you know, not people you just had a brief interaction with. When I ask writers, 'When were you last angry?' — 99% say 'in traffic'. Road rage, very real. But in traffic it's like: 'Open scene, someone cuts you off, ANDY F**K YOU!, HONK! End scene.' Not great. If you exchanged more than 50 words with someone, great—otherwise ignore those and list people you know better.
Category 1 of 4
1) List 5 people you actively dislike / who really turn you off (put a comma between each one, or on a new line):
Compiled list (unique):
0 people
We'll use this list in the next steps.
Step 2 of 10
Let's remember some arguments
You don't have much time. Go down the list and type a few words about a fight you remember having with each person. Labels or fragments are fine. If you don't remember, skip. If you remember more than one, put each on a new line.
Step 3 of 10
Their fights (not with you)
Same people — if you can remember them having a fight with someone else, jot a label or a remembered line (e.g., "You're a robot! Always on Excel!"). One per line; skip if blank.
Step 4 of 10
Remember fragments of what was said during the argument
Remember fragments of what was said during the argument. Put only what you recall; leave blanks if nothing comes.
Step 5 of 10
Pull the thread: remembered lines
Remember more lines—stuff you said, and stuff they said. Write each line on a new line and keep going; try to remember as many as possible. Spend about two minutes on each fight.
Step 6 of 10
Write the dramatic dialogue
Write one fight at a time. One speaker per turn. Keep escalating until it feels complete (1–3 pages). First, fill in your character names where A and B are shown.
Select a fight to begin.
Tip: Use all caps for names. You can change names later; past turns update automatically.
Current: A
Enter = send • Shift+Enter = newline • A/B switches speaker
Words: 0 • ~Pages: 0.0
Step 7 of 10
Build the rest of the scene
Create a slug line and opening action, then polish your script.
Slug: INT. LOCATION – DAY
Add action lines as needed. If something physical happens (e.g., a slap), insert it here.
Step 8 of 10
Read like a reader
Read the script as if you were reading it — maybe even out loud — it's always good to hear the voices. As you go down, click + on stuff you like and − on stuff you don't like. It can be the location, the line, the phrasing, the way it's written, or simple spelling. The idea is to read fast so you can edit.
Round: 0 (aim for 3)
No scene yet.
Step 9 of 10
Fix the minuses
Edit the lines you marked with −. Keep the fix short and specific.
Nothing marked − yet.
Step 10 of 10
Your script
Congratulations! You can download or pick another argument.

      

        
        
      

    

  


  
  

    

      
Complete

      
Your Dialogues

      
Review, copy, or download. You can go back anytime to edit.

    


    

      

        
Select a fight to preview

        

          
        

      

      
      

      
Select a fight to preview.

      

        
      

    

  


  
  

    

      
      
    

    

      
      Step 1 of 10