Whedonspeak
I occasionally watch YouTube videos by the Critical Drinker, which is devoted to lambasting awful movies and fallen Hollywood personalities. The videos are fun, but I do not take the content too seriously because life is too short to dwell on the negatives.
Besides entertainment, my main reason for watching is to learn how professionals deal with criticism. Specifically, I want to know what not to do. So, it was no surprise that I was interested in “Crash and Burn - The Joss Whedon Story.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Szy...
In case you are not familiar, Joss Whedon is a renowned director of popular movies and television shows. This includes one of my favorites, Firefly. I adore the writing, plot, acting, and premise of this incredible space opera. The people responsible for sacking this show should be locked up in the darkest prison for eternity.
Since that show ended, I have not followed Joss Whedon’s career too closely. It came as a surprise when The Critical Drinker’s video exposed his inappropriate behavior toward the actresses. I was unaware of his awful behavior and will be going out of my way to avoid any of his upcoming material. Thanks, Critical Drinker, for the exposure.
Yet, that is not why I am writing this article. The video identified something called “Whedonspeak,” also known as Whedon Dialogue, Whedonisms, or Buffy Speak. I had no idea what this was and learned more in this excellent Reddit article:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CharacterRan...
Joss Whedon has a distinct dialogue style; each spoken line stands out with quips, puns, ridicule, tricks, straight talk, and a not-too-serious approach to life. As a result, there are no extra words, emotions, or thoughts—just power writing with explosive content. Sounds great, but there is a problem that the video and article pointed out. Audiences are tired of Whedonspeak.
To explain why, allow me to pivot to word processing. It used to be that the only fonts that a person could use were the ones built into the printer. This is because early computers could not display fonts graphically.
Now, fast computers and powerful software allow users to use any font imaginable. Cursive, bold, stylistic, funny… And with this new ability, users took full advantage. I recall resumes with over 20 fonts, business documents with five fonts in the first paragraph, and invitations with the most elegant but hard-to-read fonts the human mind can imagine.
The problem was that readers realized documents looked better with a single, boring font, which is why we now typically see everything written in Courier or New Times Roman. This font overuse was the same problem as Whedonspeak.
Audiences used to love snarky characters, bold statements, and making fun of everything. Until they didn’t. Now, Whedonspeak is box office poison.
What can I gain from this? A writer needs to understand their audience. Granted, I am not a scriptwriter. (A story 100% driven by dialogue? WAY too complicated.) But learning about Whedonspeak provides another tool in my writing toolbox.
How will I use it? I do not favor ultra-bold characters because they do not read realistically. I prefer it when average people are thrust into big situations, which forces them to rise to the occasion. Thus, my characters do not need to make fun of their surroundings, insult people, or boast.
Still, I have bold scenes and significant events resulting in robust dialogue. The Reddit article revealed the good and bad aspects of Whedonspeak, and when I write, I will keep it in the back of my mind and out of my words. Like everything with great power, a light touch is required to be effective.
You’re the best -Bill
September 10, 2025
Besides entertainment, my main reason for watching is to learn how professionals deal with criticism. Specifically, I want to know what not to do. So, it was no surprise that I was interested in “Crash and Burn - The Joss Whedon Story.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Szy...
In case you are not familiar, Joss Whedon is a renowned director of popular movies and television shows. This includes one of my favorites, Firefly. I adore the writing, plot, acting, and premise of this incredible space opera. The people responsible for sacking this show should be locked up in the darkest prison for eternity.
Since that show ended, I have not followed Joss Whedon’s career too closely. It came as a surprise when The Critical Drinker’s video exposed his inappropriate behavior toward the actresses. I was unaware of his awful behavior and will be going out of my way to avoid any of his upcoming material. Thanks, Critical Drinker, for the exposure.
Yet, that is not why I am writing this article. The video identified something called “Whedonspeak,” also known as Whedon Dialogue, Whedonisms, or Buffy Speak. I had no idea what this was and learned more in this excellent Reddit article:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CharacterRan...
Joss Whedon has a distinct dialogue style; each spoken line stands out with quips, puns, ridicule, tricks, straight talk, and a not-too-serious approach to life. As a result, there are no extra words, emotions, or thoughts—just power writing with explosive content. Sounds great, but there is a problem that the video and article pointed out. Audiences are tired of Whedonspeak.
To explain why, allow me to pivot to word processing. It used to be that the only fonts that a person could use were the ones built into the printer. This is because early computers could not display fonts graphically.
Now, fast computers and powerful software allow users to use any font imaginable. Cursive, bold, stylistic, funny… And with this new ability, users took full advantage. I recall resumes with over 20 fonts, business documents with five fonts in the first paragraph, and invitations with the most elegant but hard-to-read fonts the human mind can imagine.
The problem was that readers realized documents looked better with a single, boring font, which is why we now typically see everything written in Courier or New Times Roman. This font overuse was the same problem as Whedonspeak.
Audiences used to love snarky characters, bold statements, and making fun of everything. Until they didn’t. Now, Whedonspeak is box office poison.
What can I gain from this? A writer needs to understand their audience. Granted, I am not a scriptwriter. (A story 100% driven by dialogue? WAY too complicated.) But learning about Whedonspeak provides another tool in my writing toolbox.
How will I use it? I do not favor ultra-bold characters because they do not read realistically. I prefer it when average people are thrust into big situations, which forces them to rise to the occasion. Thus, my characters do not need to make fun of their surroundings, insult people, or boast.
Still, I have bold scenes and significant events resulting in robust dialogue. The Reddit article revealed the good and bad aspects of Whedonspeak, and when I write, I will keep it in the back of my mind and out of my words. Like everything with great power, a light touch is required to be effective.
You’re the best -Bill
September 10, 2025
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