So, you have two or more characters in conversation, right? It comes to a point where one character has to say a lot of stuff all in a row.
In other words, one character tells a lengthy story or gives a lengthy explanation to the other characters (which clearly benefits the reader, too, or else it could be recapped or paraphrased).
I know how to punctuate this sort of extended diatribe... but is it a good idea in fiction? Or should we purposefully attempt to break up such large chunks of dialog from one character? _________________ Violet "Violanthe" Kane
[email protected] ARWZ.com: A Magazine of Alternative Reality Fiction
Great writers can carry it off, good writers work around, us mere scribblers *dread* reaching an 'expo' ...
Um, that's half of what's stalled my 'Hard SF' tale-- I gotta explain how a few aqueduct pumps and some kiddies' toys can take out something that could hand a Death Star its ass-- In pieces, yet...
If there's a story that needs to be told how about using the story within a story-structure? Just start a new chapter and "show, don't tell" and afterwards return to the ongoing story.
If this can't be done I'd do my best to make it a dialogue and not a monologue.
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