So avoid tennis-match dialogue. That’s where one character says something, and another responds with the perfect quip. Think of situation comedy dialogue. Snappy comebacks. Perfect rejoinders. Setup and spike. Instant gratification. Tension is created and instantly resolved. So it never accumulates. The energy remains flat. For example: Wendy snuck a glance at him. “Do you have herpes?” Brandon looked away. Gradually, his gaze came back to hers. “Yes. I do.” Question answered. Conflict settled. Energy returns to a big, boring zero.
