S33E9 - Avoiding the Info Dump: The Villain Monologue

You're nearing the end of the story. You need something to tie all of the threads together which you've woven through the pages. What better way to explain why everything happened than to have your villain say it?

There are lots of better ways. Trust us.

The villain monologue has long been a staple of action novels and spy stories. It's a neat way to explain the motivation for everything the villain did, while giving an extra convenient opportunity for the hero to escape and save the day. Unfortunately, there's usually a poor reason for it. Most of the time, it's because of vanity. The villain just loves to hear themselves talk. Sometimes it's hubris. They simply can't be beaten. But it doesn't work.

There are better ways to reveal important information without making your villain go into a monologue worthy of the hero in a Shakespearean tragedy.

First aired June 30, 2022.