I just got an email from the Crime Writers Association regarding their current competition called the Debut Dagger.
One of the things it says is this. I've underlined the part that I mean.

5. Dialogue: do not shy away from allowing your characters to talk. But it is worth remembering that people are not allowed to talk for longer than two sentences before someone interrupts them. The other thing that may be useful if you are trying to characterise someone through their speech is to give them a catch phrase or a word that is unique to them. This gives them an individuality which is important.

I've never heard that before? I have my characters talk for more than two sentences. What if they are short sentences? Does anyone follow this rule?
Tracy

I think they just mean it's best to break up a long section of dialogue being delivered by one of your characters with something so you don't bore the reader with a monologue, eg, with remarks, interjections, movements...
If someone tells you an anecdote, you might interject with 'really?', 'you're kidding me!', 'who, Jane from No.22?', etc.

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If you were talking to someone who didn't make little comments, you might well stop and ask 'are you listening to me?'

On TV (eg. Judge John Deed) a long piece of evidence given in Court may well be interrupted by Council, the Judge, the defendent, etc, to make it less of a monologue.

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The exception being an emotion filled (and probably gesture filled) plea by the defendent :)

Agreed - I don't think this is meant to be taken literally. It's a reminder that in a normal conversation, most of us can't get too far into what we're saying before someone chimes in and take over!

I have a colleague like that: if he keeps it up I may well have a true crime story to write one day.

Lol, Daisy. Then there are those really annoying little old ladies on Antiques Roadshow who say 'yes', 'yes', yes', for every three words spoken by the expert.

I think it's a good rule of thumb which I generally stick to.
I never allow my characters to eulogise. I hate people who do that in real life so I certaily don'y want to read it.
Helen

I'd never say it was a rule, but thinking about writing dialogue I think I get an uneasy feeling if it's going on longer than that because I don't think people do just sit there and spout. They're always waving a hand or fiddling with a biro or something. And the other person's doing something too: I think the origin of my little alarm bell is that there must be more to the scene than just the spoken words, and we need to know it. Of course if their body language or actions are contradicting what they're saying, then it's getting really interesting.

Emma

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"I never allow my characters to eulogise. "

Though maybe a eulogy - formal, or over the kitchen table - is one of the rare times when I would let someone run on. Just occasionally you want the spoken words to affect the reader directly, without any choreography accompanying it.

Bearing in mind that this crime writing, when the plot is usually the most important thing, then yes, I would definitely go along with this. The days when Poirot stood up and spouted for two pages are long gone.

Thank you for your comments, something else to remember when I'm editing!

If someone tells you an anecdote, you might interject with 'really?', 'you're kidding me!', 'who, Jane from No.22?', etc.

I see this, I guess it does get boring if there is very little or no interaction.

I have a colleague like that: if he keeps it up I may well have a true crime story to write one day.

Oh yeah, doesn't it drive you nuts?

Though maybe a eulogy - formal, or over the kitchen table - is one of the rare times when I would let someone run on.

I have a scene round the kitchen table and it was one I was dreading having to cut into, hopefully now I don't have to.

The days when Poirot stood up and spouted for two pages are long gone.

Thank goodness!

Tracy

Yep.. One day one of these people might say, 'Rubbish!'

Happy Writing.

John

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I'm finding it difficult to get my head around the way to 'quote' and post replies! I thought a reply would follow onto the post I had replied top. I see no way of choosing 'quote'.. Like other fora I have used.
John

Hi, John & welcome to the site .

To quote something copy it off the original post, click on reply and paste it into the message box, then, if you look along the top of the message box you'll see a selection of commands B for bold, etc, and "" for quote. Highlight the section you've just pasted and click on "" and it'll add the quote command.
Or you can do it manually (eg. if you click on Owner Edit, it doesn't give you buttons to click on), but if you look to the left hand side, you'll see a list showing you what to type - eg [ i ] [ / i ] for italic.

Good luck,

- NaomiM

Thanks for that Naomi. I believe I have it now! I was looking for a 'Quote' box above the original message.
Thanks again
John

Nothing to do with dialogue, but just saying welcome, John!

Rosy

I'd say this two sentence thing is fair enough as a rule of thumb, but I think there are certain people, certain situations & certain types of relationships in which people do spout - i.e. drone on and on without consideration for the other person's opinion or feelings - and that you need to break the rule in order to illustrate this.

If, for example, you wanted to illustrate a character's pomposity, an unequal power relationship or a particularly formal situation, a bit of fatuous drone is the only way forward. E.g. pompous boss talking to junior employee - the boss drones & the employee doesn't dare interrupt.