Silence, Interruption, and Overlap: Realistic Speech Patterns
Perfect turn-taking is a myth. Real conversations don’t work like written dialogue usually looks: A: "I went to the store." B: "What did you buy?" A: "Milk and bread." Real conversations are messier: A: "I went to the store and—" B: "Did you get the milk?" A: "I was about to—yeah, I got—" B: "Because last time you forgot and—" A: "I got it! I got the milk." Real speech includes: Interruptions Overlapping dialogue Pauses and silence Trailing off Verbal stumbling And incorporating these patterns makes dialogue feel authentic. ...