WRITER'S ROOM : Spark & Subtext: Writing Dialogue That Feels Alive

Part of the Monthly Writer’s Room series at CultureHub, Rotterdam

Overview

Dialogue is where a story gains electricity. It exposes desire, reveals truth, holds tension, and captures the unique rhythms of how people speak and listen. In everyday life most conversations are ordinary. On the page we highlight only what truly matters, and the result is always more charged, more intentional, and more alive.

This workshop focuses on dialogue as voice, timing, and subtle emotional exchange. Dialogue is not only what characters say. It is how they say it, what they avoid, the pauses they take, the way an accent colours a sentence, and the thoughts that run parallel beneath the surface. Every line shapes connection or conflict. Every omission holds meaning.

We will explore how to
• Craft dialogue that reflects individual voices.
• Transform everyday exchanges into compelling fictional moments.
• Use subtext to build tension beneath what is spoken and unspoken.

When dialogue lands well it becomes more than conversation. It becomes a scene. The power of immediate scenes shall be explored with a childlike (sensory) spirit.

What to Expect

First, we read.
Bring the book you are currently reading and settle into one hour of quiet, collective presence as we tune our ears to dialogue on the page.

Then, we write.
Through guided prompts you will experiment with voice, rhythm, silence, and tension. You will explore how a single line can shift the emotional temperature, how characters reveal themselves through speech, and how conversation carries the story forward.

The workshop is held in English, but you are welcome to write in any language that feels like home. There is no pressure to share your work. This space is designed for experimentation, curiosity, and creation. Pack your notebook, your pen, and your inner child. They get to lead today.

All forms and levels are welcome, including fiction, memoir, poetry, journaling, and hybrid writing.

Details

📅 Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
🕖 Time: 19:00–21:00
📍 Location: CultureHub Rotterdam (Willem Buytewechstraat 144a, 3024 VG Rotterdam)
🎟 Tickets: €7,50
🍽 Optional shared meal: + €12,50
(Meal served at 18:30 as part of a communal table experience. Please arrive early.
Total with meal: €20)