Over the last year, I’ve encountered a strange, but annoying phenomenon: books with too much dialogue.

I’ve had to DNF several after feeling like I’ve churned through pages and pages only to realize the plot hasn’t really advanced, or that nothing was actually happening at all. The characters couldn’t seem to shut their gobs.

Some people love it, and others, like me, hate it viscerally. So what’s up with this, and why might it be a sign of weak writing? Let’s dive in.

Dialogue heaviness can feel like an indicator that character is more important than plot.

I have a separate blog on the difference between character-driven and plot-driven stories. There’s a time and place for both, and in fact, I prefer a happy medium between the two.

But I sometimes have moments while reading where it feels as though the author wrote a scene purely because they enjoyed seeing their darlings interact. Not because it tells us anything useful about their personalities, relationships, or the plot, but because they get a kick out of how clever or funny or charming they find their characters. I had this feeling recently while reading Masters of Death by Olivie Blake – which I stopped reading halfway through.

I totally get it. Whatever helps a writer get to writing, or helps them understand their characters, I’m not going to object. But there’s a reason the editing world has the phrase, “Kill your darlings.” Some of these scenes ought to be left on the cutting room floor.

All that to say: frequent long conversations are boring. Especially if those conversations are ping-ponging around between a large cast of characters. Yes, I do want to see the characters interact, but not more than I want to engage with the story.

Overused dialogue can also be a storytelling red flag.

When there’s an overabundance of dialogue that feels shoehorned in, it might be an alert that the plot, character stakes, or emotional turmoil is too weak to carry the story.

Books that prioritize dialogue over description can limit the perspective significantly. Dialogue is obviously a tool for character interaction, which is important, but too much of it can mean the story may not fully capture the inner thoughts and emotions of characters. It keeps things purely external.

I will say that dialogue can be a useful way to squeeze in some exposition in a way that feels natural. However, overreliance on dialogue to do the heavy lifting here can feel contrived. It can also severely impact the pacing. Which was my issue with Kingdom of the Cursed.

Finally, too much dialogue can make a book feel like fanfiction.

That’s not to hate on fanfiction, though. One of the main draws of fanfiction is the character relationships at the forefront. Which means dialogue is an important feature for most fics. I mean, how can Draco and Hermione fall in love without some conversation?

But I expect published work (which I often pay money for) to meet a higher standard. There needs to be a bit more to the story; I want a main character with developed thoughts, feelings, and personal goals, and I want description. Some fanfiction does this well, but not all.

To each their own.

Some people enjoy purely character-driven stories where little happens. It’s the niche of cozy reading, for the slice-of-life lovers. If you’re a fan of cozy books, perhaps dialogue and character interaction is something you really like.

Alas, I have a dark, dark heart and I like stories about unhappy characters who must earn their happiness.

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