What is melodrama in a fiction story?

Question

What is melodrama and, in a fiction story, what would you consider too melodramatic?

I'm writing a human realism story and am worried there are sections that might be considered "over the top".

Thanks.

Can you maybe provide a very specific example? (Yeah, I know, the questions are tricky; hence, why I'm worried. Thanks for trying!!! I really appreciate it.)

Answer 1

As a fellow writer, I know exactly what you mean. I tend to be a writer who is very emotionally descriptive, rather than psycologically correct and realistic. Anyways, melodrama would be something you see a lot in.....Korean dramas (I'm a korean, and watch many dramas). But the Koreans call "melo" drama, ones where it's not comedy, but storylines that make your heart heavy with sorrow or whatever. Anyways, to be toooo melodramatic in a story would be, say, for instance, in my story, before I corrected my "over the top" melodrama, is when you make the character toooo emotional. And when you write a story toooo packed with emotions, that it shows that you're writing the story for the sake of sentimentality, rather than reality. Argh, it's hard to answer.

Answer 2

Clive thought, now, that was way too melodramatic, after all all one had to do was just throw the d*** thing! Not blow up the entire city!!

how's that?