My Doddering Deposition Dialogue
In 2021, I witnessed a car accident and gave a deposition two weeks ago. In case you have never had the pleasure, this is when the plaintiff and defense attorney sit you in front of a video camera with a court reporter. They take turns pummeling you with questions while doing their best to get the answer that helps their side. It felt like I was a piece of rope that two dogs were fighting over.
I answered all their questions to the best of my ability and was happy when it was over. A few days later, they sent me a copy of my transcript to review, and when I looked it over, the court reporter perfectly captured my words. Yay?
Now, I must take a quick side track. I claim to be an author, meaning I should have basic English language skills that extend to my daily speech. Right? It turns out this is not so. My deposition contained junk words, bad grammar, tangents, and wildly incoherent thoughts. What a mess. So, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down the awful dialogue lane.
“So that has nothing to do with – with -- what happened. I’m just clarifying what -- what I’m seeing.”
“No. I -- I -- um, no. I’m -- I’m thinking of jury duty. Sorry.”
“The -- the speeding car went into the Sheriff’s car. So, I mean, they – they both impacted, they were both moving at the time of -- of the accident”
“By the time the -- the -- that I was able to get through traffic and park, people had run over, and they were crowding that area.”
“The -- the parking lot is here, that’s another circle with an ‘X’, and -- and I walked over and watched and -- and waited for the police officer -- or -- or a free police officer that I could attract their attention.”
“The -- the -- the car that was speeding, I believe it was black, I believe it was an SUV, the exact type I’m really not sure.”
“I don’t remember if he gave me his business card or whatever, and I think later on they called me and I said, Hey, I -- I don’t have that. And they’re like, Hey, bring down what you do have and give it to this person.”
“I -- you -- you know, you -- we have to be fair and you’re correct. I am not sure if he began the issue -- incident here or if he was here.”
“It was kinda just like in the movies, you know. It’s not something you expect to see in real life, but, yeah, you know.”
“So what happened was the -- the light here had changed, so that’s going this direction; that that’s permitting traffic to flow.”
“So, I mean, they – they both impacted, they were both moving at the time of -- of the accident.”
“The Plaintiff called me, what, four or five weeks ago, I’m not sure how long ago, and said, Hey, you know, heard you had video. And -- and so I -- I described what we said today, but in -- in much less detail.”
“I don’t remember if he gave me his business card or whatever, and I think later on they called me and I said, Hey, I -- I don’t have that. And they’re like, Hey, bring down what you do have and give it to this person.”
These quotes read like I spoke with a mouth full of rocks. Hey, was it obvious, like I live in like, California and stuff? What was up with “the -- the – the?” Does my mouth work like a 70s car that does not turn off? Ka-chunka, ka-chunka, ka-chunka.
To top this off, I strive to speak well, and on that day, I put in great effort to be as clear as possible. This was not a lazy conversation with friends; I was actively doing my best to speak clearly. That makes my rabble even worse. Of course, I know humans do not have grammatically perfect speech, but I expected better.
Should writers and scriptwriters study depositions to create realistic dialogue? Take this mess: “It was kinda just like in the movies, you know. It’s not something you expect to see in real life, but, yeah, you know.” My corrected version would read: “What I witnessed was unreal, as if I watched a movie.” It now makes sense, but the two are far apart.
The problem is that readers are unwilling to accept my natural speech because it is too uncoordinated. Thus, I do not recommend writers get near a deposition for inspiration because this “resource” would do more harm than good.
Taking a high-level view, my deposition was not as bad as it could have been. I certainly have witnessed my share of poorly spoken English. Still, this was a wake-up call that my verbal skills require improvement.
You’re the best -Bill
May 07, 2025
Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
I answered all their questions to the best of my ability and was happy when it was over. A few days later, they sent me a copy of my transcript to review, and when I looked it over, the court reporter perfectly captured my words. Yay?
Now, I must take a quick side track. I claim to be an author, meaning I should have basic English language skills that extend to my daily speech. Right? It turns out this is not so. My deposition contained junk words, bad grammar, tangents, and wildly incoherent thoughts. What a mess. So, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down the awful dialogue lane.
“So that has nothing to do with – with -- what happened. I’m just clarifying what -- what I’m seeing.”
“No. I -- I -- um, no. I’m -- I’m thinking of jury duty. Sorry.”
“The -- the speeding car went into the Sheriff’s car. So, I mean, they – they both impacted, they were both moving at the time of -- of the accident”
“By the time the -- the -- that I was able to get through traffic and park, people had run over, and they were crowding that area.”
“The -- the parking lot is here, that’s another circle with an ‘X’, and -- and I walked over and watched and -- and waited for the police officer -- or -- or a free police officer that I could attract their attention.”
“The -- the -- the car that was speeding, I believe it was black, I believe it was an SUV, the exact type I’m really not sure.”
“I don’t remember if he gave me his business card or whatever, and I think later on they called me and I said, Hey, I -- I don’t have that. And they’re like, Hey, bring down what you do have and give it to this person.”
“I -- you -- you know, you -- we have to be fair and you’re correct. I am not sure if he began the issue -- incident here or if he was here.”
“It was kinda just like in the movies, you know. It’s not something you expect to see in real life, but, yeah, you know.”
“So what happened was the -- the light here had changed, so that’s going this direction; that that’s permitting traffic to flow.”
“So, I mean, they – they both impacted, they were both moving at the time of -- of the accident.”
“The Plaintiff called me, what, four or five weeks ago, I’m not sure how long ago, and said, Hey, you know, heard you had video. And -- and so I -- I described what we said today, but in -- in much less detail.”
“I don’t remember if he gave me his business card or whatever, and I think later on they called me and I said, Hey, I -- I don’t have that. And they’re like, Hey, bring down what you do have and give it to this person.”
These quotes read like I spoke with a mouth full of rocks. Hey, was it obvious, like I live in like, California and stuff? What was up with “the -- the – the?” Does my mouth work like a 70s car that does not turn off? Ka-chunka, ka-chunka, ka-chunka.
To top this off, I strive to speak well, and on that day, I put in great effort to be as clear as possible. This was not a lazy conversation with friends; I was actively doing my best to speak clearly. That makes my rabble even worse. Of course, I know humans do not have grammatically perfect speech, but I expected better.
Should writers and scriptwriters study depositions to create realistic dialogue? Take this mess: “It was kinda just like in the movies, you know. It’s not something you expect to see in real life, but, yeah, you know.” My corrected version would read: “What I witnessed was unreal, as if I watched a movie.” It now makes sense, but the two are far apart.
The problem is that readers are unwilling to accept my natural speech because it is too uncoordinated. Thus, I do not recommend writers get near a deposition for inspiration because this “resource” would do more harm than good.
Taking a high-level view, my deposition was not as bad as it could have been. I certainly have witnessed my share of poorly spoken English. Still, this was a wake-up call that my verbal skills require improvement.
You’re the best -Bill
May 07, 2025
Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.
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