"Barbie" Said It Best: How to Write an Iconic Monologue
Lesson 4 - How REAL Humans Talk! Dialogue Writing Essentials
Part 4 of How Real Humans Talk — Dialogue Writing Essentials
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Monologues
Are monologues even allowed? Or are they just over-written, artificial, long-winded farts? Are they the product of a self-indulgent writer at peak grandiosity? These are fair questions!
Though monologue is generally described as a lonely affair, monologue can have the broadest implications. And understanding monologue is not only important for writing assured conversational mic drops, but also essential to understanding how conflict plays out under the hood.
Notice that in Sydney and Richie’s brutal fight in Episode 7 of the “THE BEAR” (see previous lesson), the crosstalk they employ can almost be divided into two “mini monologues.” How? First, both Richie and Sydney are fighting for fundamental principles—a prerequisite for any zinger monologue. But more to the point, Richie and Sydney are of course barely even listening to each other. Their P.O.V.s are so self-righteous and uncurious, that they’re essentially monologuing!
But is monologue always an argument? Yes and no.
Our case-study: America Ferrera’s character “Gloria” in “Barbie.”
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