I have a character who makes a very long monologue in the first chapter of my novel. He is a stoic being giving a lecture to a group of people who have just inadvertently destroyed their world. He talks for multiple pages with only a few brief interruptions. He basically arrives, tells this group of people what they have done and what they must now do to fix the problem, and then disappears. I am concerned about how to properly write such a long monologue. Any suggestions?
Don't? Sorry, couldn't resist. Why do you think you need this? It sounds like a huge info dump to me and that's not going to endear many readers or make them want to keep turning the page. Why not show what the people have done by taking the reader on a tour around the destroyed world? Why not have your main character stumbling around the ruins in a daze, standing on the spot his where house used to be and seeing only rubble and smoke? We're going to immediately sympathise with him rather than spend pages listening to somebody 'stoic' who we then never meet again.
Intersperse the people's reaction to sections of his speech. You know, "oooH" and "aaah" along the way; body language; protests. I'd go for the crowd protesting, vehemently. But if you keep the speck without interruptions, it will come off as a long dull toll that rings day after day, night after night. Would you want to keep hearing that? Remember, writing is about painting a picture; taking your readers on a journey. A journey can be as boring as a train ride or an 18-hour flight, or as adventurous as a camping trip filled with wildlife. If you're going to submit us to a dull train ride, can we just stay home? This is what you must ask yourself. Put yourself in the readers' shoes. Then do what's best that will SELL the novel.
Interesting that you would ask this. I am currently reading a short story collection that is only writte in first person, and there is a lot of deep monologue in it. So keep it deep, funny or poignant in one way or another.