The #1 Dialogue Mistake Killing Your Novel

Fix This Common Dialogue Issue Before You Hit Publish

I just returned home from a conference where I presented a workshop on writing dialogue. The fact is, there is never enough time in a one-hour workshop to cover all that needs to be said about this topic.

So, as I was flying home, I thought, what is the biggest mistake authors make when writing dialogue? I touched on this in my workshop, but I’ll share a deeper version with you here. Let’s see if you can see the problem.

You’re writing a huge scene. Your hero is finally confronting the man he thinks betrayed the kingdom. The fate of everyone hangs in the balance… but the dialogue sounds less like a clash of titans and more like two guys politely disagreeing about a parking spot.

It probably sounds a little like this:

HERO: “I know it was you. You are the one who leaked the battle plans.”

VILLAIN: “You cannot prove that! Your accusations are baseless, and you have no evidence.”

HERO: “The evidence is in the countless lives that were lost.” He points a finger at the villain’s face. “I will make you pay for what you did.”

VILLAIN: “You will fail. My plan is already in motion, and you are too late to stop it.”