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| Pride and Prejudice 2005 movie |
Recently, on another blog, I read a post describing the dos and don'ts for writing internal monologue. What intrigued me most about the post were the comments. I'll hop into that in just a moment.
Twice this last week, I heard two writers from different settings boldly proclaim: "The difference between a movie and a book is the internal monologue." This made sense to me.
In a photo writing class, my instructor turned on a movie one day but left the sound off. He turned the subtitles on to let us read the dialogue. After a few minutes, he turned the movie off and asked the class, "What was mood?"
We all guessed, but no one had the correct answer. He replayed the scene with the sound, including the music. Before a character spoke a word, we knew the answer.
According to the instructor, we depend on the music to tell us what truly is in the heart of the character.
Music tells us to view the scene as sad, aggressive, contemplative, happy, slapstick. Take, for example, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. From the first explosion, we know the movie is a romantic comedy. In Romancing the Stone, the music tells us the movie is a romantic adventure. Think of the opening music to Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast.
In a book, however, a writer can use words to reveal what is in the character's heart and mind. What motivates the character to commit a crime or suddenly kiss a frog? Why does the character hate Christmas or struggle to throw a ring into the chasm? The reader is able to step into the shoes of a well written character and go beyond outward senses to truly feel the inward struggles, pinings, secret hopes, and desires. We learn about skeletons in closets, true meanings of letters, why the character thought to look under the floorboard, and more. This happens because an inner connection has been made through the brilliant painting of words.
Writers do run into trouble, though, when pages are filled with one long internal monologue.
It becomes like an infomercial. Boring.
And now the opposing views:
Ready?
The Show IM with Dialogue Team: This group of writers prefer to demonstrate what is going on in a character's heart and mind through dialogue and action. Show rather than tell is one reason stated. Specific words are chosen and other characters are placed in the scene to help set the stage for the needed dialogue. Who likes pages and pages of boring droll internal monologues which is nothing more than whining about a situation not going the pov's way. It is much better to provide action and convey issues through dialogue.
The Sprinkle a Sentence, Perhaps Short Para IM Team: This group of writers prefer to reveal the pain/joy/struggles and etc by revealing the processing of issues going on in the mind in the narrative. Care is given to descriptions of feelings, emotions, physical responses, interpretations of others, etc. We don't always say what we are thinking is one reason stated.
Time to discuss the debate.
But first the rules:
1. To have a debate we need to hear your voice (translated: please comment)
2. All comments need to be written with respect and kindness.
3. All comments need to take a side and defend the viewpoint.
4. It would be nice if commenters would join us to respond to those speaking for the other side.
Think about it for a moment. Consider books you've read. Choose a stellar one. Or choose your WIP. How was/is the IM done in that book? Now that you think back, did you like the IM written this way, or would you have done it differently?
Twice this last week, I heard two writers from different settings boldly proclaim: "The difference between a movie and a book is the internal monologue." This made sense to me.
In a photo writing class, my instructor turned on a movie one day but left the sound off. He turned the subtitles on to let us read the dialogue. After a few minutes, he turned the movie off and asked the class, "What was mood?"
We all guessed, but no one had the correct answer. He replayed the scene with the sound, including the music. Before a character spoke a word, we knew the answer.
According to the instructor, we depend on the music to tell us what truly is in the heart of the character.
Music tells us to view the scene as sad, aggressive, contemplative, happy, slapstick. Take, for example, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. From the first explosion, we know the movie is a romantic comedy. In Romancing the Stone, the music tells us the movie is a romantic adventure. Think of the opening music to Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast.
In a book, however, a writer can use words to reveal what is in the character's heart and mind. What motivates the character to commit a crime or suddenly kiss a frog? Why does the character hate Christmas or struggle to throw a ring into the chasm? The reader is able to step into the shoes of a well written character and go beyond outward senses to truly feel the inward struggles, pinings, secret hopes, and desires. We learn about skeletons in closets, true meanings of letters, why the character thought to look under the floorboard, and more. This happens because an inner connection has been made through the brilliant painting of words.
Writers do run into trouble, though, when pages are filled with one long internal monologue.
It becomes like an infomercial. Boring.
And now the opposing views:
Ready?
The Show IM with Dialogue Team: This group of writers prefer to demonstrate what is going on in a character's heart and mind through dialogue and action. Show rather than tell is one reason stated. Specific words are chosen and other characters are placed in the scene to help set the stage for the needed dialogue. Who likes pages and pages of boring droll internal monologues which is nothing more than whining about a situation not going the pov's way. It is much better to provide action and convey issues through dialogue.
The Sprinkle a Sentence, Perhaps Short Para IM Team: This group of writers prefer to reveal the pain/joy/struggles and etc by revealing the processing of issues going on in the mind in the narrative. Care is given to descriptions of feelings, emotions, physical responses, interpretations of others, etc. We don't always say what we are thinking is one reason stated.
Time to discuss the debate.
But first the rules:
1. To have a debate we need to hear your voice (translated: please comment)
2. All comments need to be written with respect and kindness.
3. All comments need to take a side and defend the viewpoint.
4. It would be nice if commenters would join us to respond to those speaking for the other side.
Think about it for a moment. Consider books you've read. Choose a stellar one. Or choose your WIP. How was/is the IM done in that book? Now that you think back, did you like the IM written this way, or would you have done it differently?
The purpose of this exercise is not to truly battle!
For this reason, let's discuss the great internal monologue debate.
Which team would you chose to join and why?
Why do you feel the other team would not work for you?
Let's learn from each other so we can make our own choices.
(I chose the photo from Pride and Prejudice because Kathleen Kelly from You've Got Mail said, "Elizabeth Bennet is the most complex [complete] character ever written.") :)
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The purpose is to help us decide in our own heart:
which way do we prefer to write.
For this reason, let's discuss the great internal monologue debate.
Which team would you chose to join and why?
Why do you feel the other team would not work for you?
Let's learn from each other so we can make our own choices.
(I chose the photo from Pride and Prejudice because Kathleen Kelly from You've Got Mail said, "Elizabeth Bennet is the most complex [complete] character ever written.") :)
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This blog post is by Mary Vee
Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes contemporary and romance Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.
Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter
