The phrase “As you know, Bob…” has become shorthand for any line of dialogue that exists only to feed the reader information. It typically consists of details that the characters would already know. This is also referred to as an infodump. Or Expository Dialogue. Or, as Dot Hatfield called it in a previous post, soap opera language.
It usually looks something like:
“As you know, Bob, last year the local district attorney charged your business partner, Tom, with extortion, putting an end to his political aspirations.”
Real people don’t talk this way. Lifelong friends don’t recap mutual history. Spouses don’t narrate their own marriage. Cops don’t constantly remind each other of training-level protocol. When characters engage in such exposition, the curtain is pulled back. It stops feeling like a story and starts feeling like the author is phoning it in.
Certain phrases signal the looming of such exposition. “Remember when…” “Like I told you before…” And, of course, “As you know…” These all lead in the same direction. They indicate that information is about to be explained, rather than revealed — and there’s a difference.
This technique succeeds in the sense that it does deliver the details that the reader needs to know. But it does so in the worst way, which is why the infodump always fails in the greater sense. It’s just bad writing. Stories stop being believable when dialogue doesn’t ring true.
So how do you write dialogue that serves its intended purpose — that is functional and forward-moving — without sounding like it came from a soap opera?
As you script out conversations for your characters, here are some ideas that may help you sidestep this tendency.
• Be on the lookout for signal phrases.
Phrases like the ones mentioned above, as well as any line that implies that characters are telling each other what they both already know.
• Narrate around it.
Rather than having Bill explain to Bob what they both clearly know, you — the third person narrator — can step in and explain to the reader what needs to be told. Or you can demonstrate it through action rather exposition.
• Compress it to one need‑to‑know detail.
Most infodumps stuff five facts where one will do. Pinpoint the single item that the conversation needs now. Then trust readers to infer the rest or learn it later.
Dialogue that sounds like real conversation — rather than clunky exposition — will keep your readers engaged and keep them turning pages.
AS A REMINDER, in our meeting on July 28 we’ll explore rules and ideas on how to develop the kind of dialogue that readers love to read. We hope to see you there!
- As You Know, Bob - July 25, 2025
- A Fantastic First - May 2, 2025
- Getting Off to a Great Start - April 25, 2025