This funny photo made me think of the vices of writing dialogue. As writers, we tend to dramatize simple sentences, to show off our skills. However, when it comes to dialogue, it’s better to tone down the parade of skills.

Speak in the language of the character. You can’t expect a college professor to use words like “yo'” and “ain’t”; and you can’t expect a man from the wrong side of the streets to speak in the style used in the picture, either.

Even when the sentence in the photo is extremely sophisticated, it does give a clear example of what might go wrong in a dialogue.

What do you think about this photo? Personally, it made me laugh for quite some time!