how to write dialogue

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Eric Heuser to look at a scene Eric is working on. Jeff and Eric talk about adding a POV to a work in progress, building emotional resonance, writing a character with a different interior and exterior voice, using reflective prose in segment breaks to give the reader a feeling of intimacy.

For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff and Scott look at a scene Scott wrote. They talk about finishing novels, writing children's voices, building a character for growth, partnering unlikable characters with characters that like them, writing to segments of the dialogue, and Oliver Twist.

For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Ian Worrall to look at a piece Ian has written. They talk about making the piece "dialogue centric" or "screenplay ready," they discuss maintaining the energy of the dialogue while balancing inner thoughts and prose, and they talk about finding the segments within a conversation.

For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Deb Jensen. Together, they work on Deb's plot by thinking through her cast and how her characters will interact with each other. As they work, they discuss being AI Assisted authors and how you can use AI to help you brainstorm character voices.

For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach sits down with author John Krause to examine his cast of 4 characters. They talk about writing voices for characters who are teenagers and children, building voices that are true to their personalities, and designing a cast of contrasting voices that enhance your story.

To see more of John's work, check out https://www.johnkrausebooks.com/

 For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author CC Hanson to talk about CC's work in progress. During the conversation they diagnose the emotions in CC's scene, Laura isolates a character's dialogue for editing using colors, they talk about staying in the moment, writing a 16-year-old voice, and writing grieving characters.

To register for the masterclass in August, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/masterclass-from-enneagram-to-power-character-growth-and-dynamic-cast/

For more on writing dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

Is your dialogue falling flat? Do your characters talk a lot, but not say anything worth listening to? In this episode, Jen and Tina discuss some of the pitfalls of writing dialogue and offer suggestions on how to improve your characters’ conversations.
Reedsy article on dialogue: https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/how-to-...
30 Days of Writing Sprint Prompts: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MGR7431

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Visit our website: https://christianindiewriters.net/

Learn more about the hosts...
Jamie: https://writingshorts.net/
Jenifer: https://jenifercarlltong.com/
Tina: https://christinacattane.com/
Rhonda: http://ddbouman.com

Jeff and Laura take questions from the community.

In the conversation, they cover:

• building villains,
• citing authors in your novel,
• writing outside your natural voice,
• subtext,
• writing voices that descend into madness,
• the mechanics of writing inner thoughts,
• displaying text messages in your story,
• grammar rules and when to break them,
• spicy scenes,
• using a character's name in speech,
• publishers and why they yell about things,
• and creating giant projects.

For more on writing dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Lynn Wham to talk about building character voices. They talk through the process of building character voices and how authors do that differently. They also talk about building a voice from background and personality, deciding on which modulations to plan for, and putting together a cast.

For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff works through a piece with author Maggie Menane. They discuss reader magnets and writing in first person POV.

For more on dialogue, head over to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff and Laura answer questions from the community. Questions include:

1. In a DIY dialogue class, what would some of the “must read“ books be on the syllabus for a diverse cross-section of excellent dialogue examples?

2. In a previous masterclass, Laura talked about 5 common mistakes to look for when editing: the reader burden, muddy voices, unbalanced dialogue, minimal change, low impact dialogue. To keep from getting overwhelmed, where should I start with the editing process?

3. How do the rules of dialogue change for our characters during spicy scenes?

4. How would you handle scenes where the POV character isn’t very aware of the other’s body language, can’t take it all in at once, and or is maybe not even self-aware of their own?

5. What is something about how people communicate and speak that you learned at your day job lately?

6. What's your favorite thing about working with clients when you're book coaching?

For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

Here is a list of the books Jeff and Laura listed for question 1:

Beloved by Toni Morrison to understand character voice.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace to understand scene structure.

The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune to understand "big cast" scenes.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernst Hemingway to understand the structure of dialogue.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee to understand the difference between child and adult voices.

Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet to understand the art of conversation.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis to see how a scene can be two characters talking.

And court transcripts from the internet to understand what real emotions in conversations sound like.

In this episode, we explore how to write dialogue in your novel! We discuss the purpose of dialogue, how to develop character through dialogue, how to use dialogue to add conflict and how to make sure dialogue sounds right! We also talk about the "grammar" of dialogue! Come have a drink and listen!