I'M NOT BEING MELODRAMATIC!!!

Ooooh, melodrama.

As a writer, you want to create some emotional tension in your writing, but you don't want to cross that very thin line into melodrama.

But what is melodrama and when do I know I've crossed that line?

Lovelies, I regret to say it's pretty easy to cross that invisible line. I know I slathered Lights Out in melodrama. But, don't fret--it's also pretty easy to fix.

So, let me set the scene for you....

Our heroine--we'll call her uh...May--has an amazing pink cellphone. She got it as a present from her mother three years ago and she's adored it ever since. She holds her life in those tiny, plastic walls--all her friends' numbers, videos she took at that wild party last week, pictures that span the three years she's had it. It's all in there.

Not long ago, her boyfriend--Trav...er...Trevor--broke his cellphone and now they can't get in touch with each other while he's out. Well, May doesn't like the idea of not being able to pick up the phone and call Trevor whenever she wants, so she decides he can take her precious phone for a while, but only if he promises to be extra careful.

Of course, he keeps that promise for a few days and things go rather smoothly. But, late one evening as Trevor is riding home after a dinner with his family, he gets frustrated with his siblings and leaves the phone laying carelessly on the backseat. Somewhere along the ride, one of those siblings picks it up and tries to put it in a safer place--the empty cup holder. They miss and plunk! May's precious cellphone ends up floating at the bottom of a glass of flat Pepsi.

Hours later, when Trevor discovered the phone, he knows right away May won't be happy, but he wasn't expecting half of what actually happened. Upon returning the phone, May breaks down in tears.

"How could you be so careless?" she bawls, falling to her knees with the sticky phone still clenched in her fist. "All my numbers...my pictures! They're all gone!"

Trevor bites his lip. "But...I...it was--"

"You're an idiot! Why did I let you take it? Oh, God! It's all gone!" Tears roll down her cheeks as she throws the ball of gloop that was her phone across the room. "It's all gone!"

Now, when did you start rolling your eyes?

That's melodrama.

Melodramatic characters make readers say, "Yeah, right." They make them laugh at inappropriate times. And, really, you don't want your readers snickering as they read things in your book they're supposed to take to heart.

There is, of course, an exception to this "rule."

Comedy.

If you're writing comedy, go right ahead and let your characters be a little melodramatic from time to time.

But I don't write comedy--I'm no good at writing something purely for the lulz--so I can't help you there.

Things to avoid:

-Shouting, screaming, bawling, sobbing....

Watch out for those words and words like them. Yeah, it's a lot easier to just type "He yelled", but it's stronger--and less melodramatic--if you find another way to show that emotion. For more tips on showing, check this out.

-The exclamation point (!)

This little punctuation mark is very rarely needed. It's a gateway straight to Melodrama City. It shows up all over the place in Lights Out, but I'm gonna change all that in editing.

Instead of relying on the exclamation point to show your character is angry/excited/speaking loudly/whatever, show that your character is angry/excited/speaking loudly/whatever. Embrace things like "clenched fists" and "gritted teeth."

-Oh, what a coincidence....

Not really melodramatic, but it's definitely something that makes your reader go, "Ugh." Let's say you're writing a crime novel and the whole plot hinges on your hero finding a bit of evidence that the police just happened to overlook...

Or maybe you're writing a fantasy and your heroine saves everyone with an amazing power she had NO IDEA she even had....

No!

Your reader will just roll their eyes stuff like that. Avoid it if you want readers to take your writing seriously.

-But why the hell did he do that?

Some writers like to think their readers don't notice when they're manipulating their characters into doing things they wouldn't normally do, but, no matter how good you are, you can't hide from the watchful eye of a good reader. If, suddenly, your hero starts acting like a great guy after a hundred pages of cold aloofness, your reader is going to raise an eyebrow. Let's say you're writing a romance and your MC's sister just adored your MC's cool chick friend up until the point they started dating. If you want to pull that card, okay, but you've GOT to paint a believable picture to explain her sudden hatred for this girl. If you don't, your reader will notice that she's acting out of character and they'll have some questions.

-I'll die without you!

Yep, this is a melodrama's signature statement. Heroines that go around screaming about how they'll just DIE without the hero grates on my nerves like nothing else in this world. Please, please, please--for the love of GOD--don't do that in your story. Oh, crap...I feel a New Moon reference coming on...ugh...gotta try to...repress it...

Aw, it's no use.

You remember in New Moon when Edward played relationship hookie? Bella freaked out, didn't she? She fell into a depression that lasted for SEVERAL MONTHS over a boy she'd only known for...what...about a year? Maybe?

Could anyone honestly read that bit without laughing a little or at least rolling your eyes? If anyone--ANYONE--can look me in my face and tell me they'd do the same thing, I wouldn't have any problem laughing hysterically back at you.

**Quick note**

I've seen a few people type screaming in all caps (like the title of this post), and I'd just like to make it a point to say: Cut that shit out. It's just wrong. The caps lock key doesn't belong in your writing.

Hope this helped. If you've got any questions or want to suggest a topic for a future post, just leave a comment and I'll get right on it!

Happy writing, lovelies!