# Speaking to somoene who isn't there



## Kimba (Jul 17, 2008)

I know this may sound like an odd question but I'm writing a scene about someone who is talking to something that isn't there. She talks to "it" with the hope that "it" answers her but "it" doesn't.

Okay, the main question here is, how to I write it in the dialogue? Basically, she is talking this "thing" while someone else who can talk to her is standing in front of her but she doesn't want to talk to the person who can talk back. Am I making any sense?


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 17, 2008)

Scripts generally don't tell you who is being addressed.
A characters speaks a line.

If they are speaking to somebody imaginary, you should only have to note that once:

Alice acts as though she's addressing another person, but there is nobody there

or some such.

This really ins't much of a problem.


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## Kimba (Jul 17, 2008)

Fair enough, but what if the person interacts with the person who can talk back - ie alternatively talking to the "imaginary person" and the other?

It's a little hard to explain but basically in my script, my main character is in a coma and has been hearing things in the ICU but her metal state is in the outback [ie the scene is set in the outback but she hears the ICU ambience etc]. The "person" she's talking to is actually the situation she's been placed it. In this scene she's "talking" to the situation as well as the person who is in the scene with her [her ex-boyfriend]


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## Linton Robinson (Jul 17, 2008)

In that case I'd make judicious use of the parenthetical   (To BF) when addressing the boyfriend  (Because if you use it for the imaginary playmate, who is it 'to")  with a line somewhere in there to the effect that she is speaking to shadows part of the time.


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## BMproductions (Aug 28, 2008)

I think the best thing to do when writing to someone who isn't there (or can't respond) is by rembering the keys to subtext. Even if nothing is said in return, there is still something to respond to (if that makes sense)


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## Linton Robinson (Aug 28, 2008)

Actually, I don't think ANY of it does.


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