Today I finished a piece for the book where two people are arguing, and although I know I waffle-on in real life, I had a hard time knowing how long to keep this going for.
Are there any hard and fast rules in writing for arguments. I have about 900 words from beginning to end so in real life this would be about six minutes. Is it too long?
An argument lasts as long as it takes - until one cedes defeat and walks away. If it lasts until resolution, then it is a discussion - not an argument. Read back over it and delete unnecessary repetitions and replace with beats to keep the reader engaged. Good luck
ReplyDeleteHi Merlene,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input. I'm pretty pleased with the what it reads and there are no repeats. It will become a turning point in the novel where one person is given the power by another as in Star Wars when luke hears, 'Use the Force.'
Until recenntly I hadn't thought much about elements in the writing to me it was normal story telling but as I've learn't more, I see the trends develop.
It's exciting to know I am following a well trodden path. The stories may differ but the techniques are the same.
Cheers,
Tery
Wow, reading my reply today has proved that I should take some time to re-read what I commit to paper/text before publishing it on my blog.
ReplyDelete