I'm not sure if this is the right section for this, but it didn't seem to fit perfectly anywhere else. Anyway, I've got a scene that is very dialogue light; it's mostly about the MC exploring a new location while moving quickly. Therein lies the problem -- they are moving quickly, and so is the pace. I don't want to interrupt the pacing of the scene by having the MC ask questions, which she absolutely would about this one unusual phenomenon. I've tried putting in the dialogue, and the flow just seems off, especially when transitioning back out of the dialogue. My question is: should I just have her keep quiet and passively observe for the sake of pacing, or should I interrupt the scene with some exposition to stay true to her character? I honestly don't like either option, but I've been banging my head against the wall trying to find a plausible way avoid the problem altogether. Edit: Actually, I think I'm just going to keep her quiet and restructure the scene just enough that her silence won't be too OOC without deviating from my plans too much. I still think she would ask questions, but I'm just going to move on for now and come back to this later if it still bothers me. Sorry for being trigger happy with the "Post New Thread" button. So... um, new question: Is there any way to delete a thread you started if you change your mind about it, or is this thing here to stay?
How would a real person behave in such situation? If they are walking through a jungle and suddenly a wild T-Rex appears and starts chasing them, would she start asking where did it come from because, you know, there haven't been any dinos for several million years? Maybe. But she'll be running and asking that, right? So, she and her friend would be quite out of breath. So, maybe she'll ask but he won't answer. Or even maybe he'll tell her to shut up so they could hide from the big bad T-Rex. It's quite possible that they will find a hiding place. Will she ask more questions then? Some people would. Some people won't. And that can change the story, too. If she's being loud and the T-Rex re-discovers them, the chase is on again. Or, maybe the dinosaur will even take a bite off her side. Will she still be asking questions? Like, do you know how many newtons are there in a T-Rex bite? Maybe, if you make it believable. Or, maybe not. It's your story. But if the T-Rex takes a bite off that character, and they just ignore that and start describing how pretty the sunset is in the jungle and how lovely butterflies flutter around, that may sound a bit off.
