dialogue writing in about 150 words
Answers
Scene: Two friends meet on the street.
"Hello, John. How are you?"
"I am just fine. And how are you, Martha?"
"Thank you for asking. I am fine. How's your job search coming along."
"My job search is going rather slowly, I'm afraid. Are you still working at Smith and Sons?"
Wasn't that painful to read? The characters are lifeless. You would never speak in that manner in real life, so please don't ever have your characters do it.
Here's a more likely scenario:
"Hey, John, what's up?" Martha asked.
"Not much, you?"
"Same old. You still out job hunting?"
"Yeah, sorry to say. You still at Smith & Sons?"
Now add some filler (deeper POV):
"Hey, John, what's up?" Martha's attempted smile never reached her pretty green eyes. She bit her bottom lip.
John considered his friend for a moment then heaved the heavy backpack off his shoulders. It hit the ground with a thud. "Not much, you?"
"Same old." Martha's voice was so low he had to step closer to hear. "You still out job hunting?" she said as she studied the sidewalk and ran the toe of her shoe along a crack.
"Yeah, sorry to say." He gently lifted her chin to peer into her face. Tears were about to spill there. He felt the pull of her chin as she tried to turn away. "You still at Smith and Sons or did something happen?"
Now we have two living, breathing characters