How much dialouge is too much?

Sounds like you have an info dump via dialogue here. The reader doesn't need to know everything at once. Disperse the info organically throughout the story, in enticing little bits and pieces. Perhaps have her initial explanation get interrupted by a bit of action.

If you think it's too long, it probably is.

This sounds like it's mostly an exposition problem. You don't want to overwhelm or bore the reader with an info dump.

I would try to break up the information rather than giving all of it at once. Decide what really needs to be said in this scene and stick to that. The other stuff might be worth hanging onto, but I'd try to space it out and find other, more natural ways of working it into the story.

If as a reader I'm wondering "are they going to do something besides talk--where are they? What's going on around them? What are they doing while they talk?"

Yeah, it probably is too long.

I think a common problem of storytelling is our desire to tell the reader everything we feel they need to know. This problem is more than just the "show don't tell" mantra that is often right.

The real issue is often the art of storytelling. Sometimes, the reader doesn't need to know everything right this minute. Sometimes its best when the reader and MC SLOWLY find out together. Sometimes its best when reader and MC never find out.

A better answer can be found in these links

Pulling the reader in


http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78571

Writers story
Info dumps


http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1670047#post1670047


as you know bob info dump


http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1358914#post1358914


tuxedo info dump link


http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1348838#post1348838



The best answer can be found in the Uncle Jim thread.

Absolutely positively everything you ever needed to know about writing is in the Uncle Jim thread. Yes it is long, but trust me, just keep reading it until you stop learning.


Uncle Jim Undiluted Thread
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6710


Good luck

Mel...

And I just read a short novel by a celebrated author in which the first 20 pages was JUST infodump (and not by dialogue.) It wasn't done badly either, and darned if I know why. I should have been bored, I think, but I wasn't.

Thing is, if the dialogue is interesting then it will probably work. Anything interesting works, imo, and from the some dozens of novels I've recently read, infodumping has its place. (In mostly literary novels, btw.)

DancingMaenid said:

This sounds like it's mostly an exposition problem. You don't want to overwhelm or bore the reader with an info dump.

I would try to break up the information rather than giving all of it at once. Decide what really needs to be said in this scene and stick to that. The other stuff might be worth hanging onto, but I'd try to space it out and find other, more natural ways of working it into the story.

Click to expand...

+1 on this.

I wouldn't revel too much at once.

One of the great story-telling devices is to give the reader just enough information to answer one question, while presenting him/her with 2 more.
When you spread out the reveal, of what your protagonist is, to small sections that give just a taste at a time, you are keeping your reader engaged.

"I cant put down the book tonight because I still dont know what this secret power is."

"Well he can see dead people, but can they see him?"

"He is about to go up against the antagonist. Is he going to discover that there are some weaknesses to this superhuman strength after all?"

You have over 50 posts, so consider posting it in SYW for feedback. Much easier to judge from the actual writing.

You can try writing the scene by keeping the characters' motivations in mind. I find that if you think from the POV of the characters speaking, you'll notice things they want to reveal, and information they'd rather not talk about. And they have their reasons for not wanting to. That's part of the story, and it can guide how to write the dialogue.

He possesses nano cells that enable him to have abilities that the average person does not (Cool. I use that in a short story I'm working on.). He asks the female MC to explain to him what he is and why he possesses these nano cells (why? How does he know she knows what's going on?), so she starts off by telling him that the human race originated from a moon that orbited Venus thousands of years ago (What??? That makes no sense. Why would she start there? What are her reasons for starting there? Does she want to tell him everything? Is there a reason why she didn't tell him before? Why doesn't he know all that stuff about the human race and Venus? Don't they teach that at school?), and goes on from there. The dialouge between them goes on for eight pages, which I think is too long(Probably is.).

Click to expand...

I've read great books that were loaded with dialogue and I've read great books that had very little dialogue

When I write I tend to concentrate on dialogue more, as I think it's a better way of getting someone to connect to characters. I do explain their emotions in narrative and describe sceneries etc. I think I need to work on narrative more. I don't think I've ever read a book that had 8 pages of solid dialogue. Is there literally no narrative??
I also tend to get a little bored if there's a lot of narrative, I find myself wondering what's happening with the characters.

If the dialogue goes on for 8 pages, chances are there is info in there that the reader (and the MC) really don't need to know immediately.

Try to shorten the dialogue.

If you want an excuse as to why she doesn't immediately tell all, then consider what is happening while she is telling him. Its entirely possible to have some action going on which might disrupt the info dump and pep things up a little to the point where the MC and she are hiding under a table while bullets are flying everywhere and he asks her again what the hell is going on and she screams 'Look! This is not the time!'

I agree with the above that she is unlikely to start with the whole bumf about Venus. That can come out later, it is largely irrelevant to any immediate concerns the MC has. She can mention the nanites but that can be done in passing. For example:

MC: "How the hell can I do these things?"
Her: "It's because of the Nanites." (looking at him like he is an idiot)
MC: "The what now?"
Her: "Didn't they tell you about the nanites?"
MC: "They didn't tell me anything and I'm not even sure who 'they' are!"
Her: "Shit. Look, this is not the best time. Just accept its the nanites that do it all, ok?"