Providing readers with information they
need to know is necessary, of course, and a great way to do that is by using
dialogue. You have to make sure, however, to avoid what I call “soap-opera
dialogue.” You shouldn’t have characters discussing things they already know
just for the benefit of the reader. Chitchat like this is called soap-opera
dialogue because it’s used in soaps frequently to help viewers who may have
missed a few shows. Example:
Rick: “Jeff got here about ten
minutes ago.”
Todd: “Jeff? That sleazy
attorney who broke up with Natalie last week after Dr. Lebowitz told him she
had a brain tumor?”
Rick: “Yep. He flew in this
morning. I guess he figures that big murder trial of his in New Orleans can go
on without him.”
In conversations like this you can almost see the characters winking at each
other. Never use soap-opera dialogue in your novel.
Paul Thayer
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