Playwriting - Part 6E - The Working Process, Using Repetition

Writers are often told to keep things concise and not use repetition. Of course this is true in professional and academic writing. However, it can cross over into the creative writing. We get caught up in not repeating things.

Yet, if we listen to conversations, even our own, it is natural to repeat things. We repeat things for different reasons. Sometimes it is because we forgot we already something. Sometimes it for emphasis to express that a feeling is strong (how many times does somebody "really, really, really like another person" or "really, really, really hate" something? Sometimes it is because a person is just that angry and needs to vent and a word or a phrase helps them to do that. There are other reasons, too.

This repetition doesn't have to be extremely literary in cases like people study Shakespeare's repetition, whichis not a word or a phrase repeated over and over again immediately afterwards. Rather, it is more like a theme for the play or for a character in the play. This repetition is the one that happens in conversation all the time.

What if a character is extremely impatient about something that is supposed to happen? Maybe it is a couple of friends waiting for the bus and the second friend is in a hurry. You could have the first scenario:

Friend 2: I really need to get to the grocer store so my dad can eat.
Friend 1: The bus will come soon.
Friend 2: Soon? When's soon?
Friend 1: Soon.
Friend 2: When? Friend 1: As soon as it gets here.
(This bus arrives)

Or, it could be this: Friend 2: I really need to get to the grocer store so my dad can eat.
Friend 1: The bus will come soon.
Friend 2: Soon? When's soon?
Friend 1: Soon.
Friend 2: When? When? When? When?
(The bus arrives)

Which one seems more natural? In my opinion, the first seems like forced dialogue while the second seems natural. Don't be afraid to use repetition. If it makes sense to you, use it.

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