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Fiction Writing Tip: Ditch the Long Speeches
Real-life Dialogue is Back and Forth
One of my favorite writing students writes chapters that I love to read. They pull me along as her characters chat. All the characters sound so authoritative, so sure of themselves, so together. I feel I am in capable hands and I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the read.
And yet.
Sometimes, the characters speak in speeches. Their dialogue is a full paragraph long. Which is lovely to read. However.
In real life, people don’t talk in speeches. They talk back and forth.
We humans interrupt each other. Make hmmmm noises. Agree or disagree. Chime in with our brilliant ideas. Stand up and pace the room. Take a drink of coffee. Light a cigarette. Okay, ditch the lighting of a cigarette. That doesn’t happen much anymore. It used to be such a handy device!
My point is that the writer should strive to make their dialogue sound natural, and natural speech comes out in a back and forth manner. It’s okay to throw in the occasional speech, but just don’t make a habit of it.
