Screenwriting : Let's talk amongst ourselves. by Alan B. Cox

Only if they need to convey something important to the audience.

Wow! You beat me to it Laura. I agree; Alan you can show so much about the character of a person by firstly setting the right SCENE to invoke his, her, or their mood, and then using two, maybe three lines of ACTION to introduce your character's state of mind into the scene. This is an especially cool technique when you're writing a short story which usually has one or two key characters.

Of course you can if it is in character. If you have a character that talks to themselves. You're the writer, only you can know the correct answer.

It depends - one can use interaction with the context to convey meaning

I don't remember if anyone has articulated this concept recently. There are only three basic scenes. A " plot scene", a "character scene" and a "plot-character scene". Any scene you write has to improve your audience's understanding of either plot (plot scene), the character (character scene) or both. If you have a scene that doesn't achieve one of these things rewrite till it does. So what are you trying to achieve by having them talk to themselves?

Watch Mr. Destiny with Jim Belushi. The character talks to himself, to deliver exposition, and to tell himself what he's thinking, feeling, and experiencing at the moment. It's awkward, it's annoying, and it really effs with the pacing of the movie.

If you're gonna do it, make sure you have a good reason, and make sure you do it in an interesting way. For example, in Double Indemnity, Walter Neff, suffering from a gunshot wound, dictates his confession, as he tells the story in narration and flashback.

I guess my comments posted from my ipad didn't make it on this thread. The scene in question is on page 4 and sets the norm for the protagonist. That is that she's a little boring and has a very set daily routine. Not to mention that 50% of the setting is at this location (her house). Don't worry, pages 1 to 3 are funny . That brings me to another discussion. I've read (remember I'm new at this) that you have to establish the norm. I'm I getting this right?

No. Body language and shots...if you need dialogue for such a simple scene you're wasting nuances

Scene

"Every week day for nine years, Harold would brush each of his 32 teeth 76 times. 38 times back and forth. 38 times up and down. His wristwatch would simply look on from the nightstand, quietly wishing Harold would use a more colorful toothbrush." (Zack Helm, Stranger Than Fiction.)

Bill....

You set the bar high referencing Stranger Than Fiction. But that is the competition.

Logline posted.

Dan MaxXx: glad you recognize that we are all competitors, even though you and I are the bestest of friends. By the way - that bomb that went off in your car last night....that wasn't me, good buddy, and I'm glad you had a remote starter that you didn't tell me about.