In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Dillon Mesquitta to talk about Dillon's work in progress. They discuss the structure of Dillon's dialogue and look at the emotional flow of Dillon's characters. For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Carol Painter to talk about her work in progress. They discuss a difficult character who's story ends in tragedy. They discuss the character's negative choices, how the character is going to change, and how that builds into the themes of the book. They then look at scenes together in which the character is making choices. If you want more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coaches Jeff Elkins and JP Rindfleisch IX discuss "The Dip" by Seth Godin. Jeff walks JP through the book and they talk about how it should inform author's decision and shape (or not shape) and author's mindset. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Dennis Kurlas to talk about a scene in Dennis' work in progress. They talk through the beats of the scene. They discuss how to keep an emotional flow through the beats, why beats should be deleted, and how to keep beats rolling from one to the next. Also, Jeff talks about his time at the annual conference for the Maryland Writers Association and what he learned from the weekend. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff talks with thought leader and inspirational thinker Honoree Corder. They discuss accepting yourself and your work, the power of visualization, having rigor and discipline with your art and life, why marketing is a necessity, and why authors shouldn't be a afraid of it. To find more about Honoree and engage deeper in her thought, check out https://honoreecorder.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch the IX holds and Ask Me Anything session with Payton Lyle. After hearing what Payton wants from her story, JP breaks down her story with her. They talk about her Story Hypothesis, her characters' growth arcs, deepening the romance, and much more. Get your copy of the Story Hypothesis here: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Hypothesis-Missing-Fiction-Puzzle/dp/1958924121  For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with The Pitch Master, Lindsey Hughes to talk about pitching your story. They discuss the difference between a screenplay and a novel. Lindsey gives networking tips, and Lindsey walks Jeff through give long and short pitches to stories. For more of Lindsey's work, check out https://thepitchmaster.com/ Also, come and get coaching at https://dialoguedoctor.com/coaching/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with Farriz Mashudi to look at her first chapter and talk about her story. JP and Farriz discuss how to increase tension, ensuring the reader understands where all the characters are, character growth arcs, the Story Hypothesis, and making a first chapter as powerful as possible while being aware of word count. To get a copy of the Story Hypothesis, go to https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/products/story-hypothesis-ebook? For more on the craft of writing or to hire JP as a coach, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Michele Berger. They discuss Michele's new book Doll Seed and then pivot to examining the writing of Walter Mosley. Michele is the Eric and Jane Nord Family Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and director of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University. If you are interested in Michele's new book, you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Doll-Seed-Michele-Tracy-Berger/dp/1951874072/ If you are interested in the Leonid McGill book we discussed (Trouble is What I Do), go to: https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-What-Leonid-Mcgill-Book-ebook/dp/B07SLY7D5Y/ If you want to learn more about the craft of writing, come and join us at https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Phil Yates look at a historical fiction novel Phil is writing. They discuss writing action scenes and managing a big cast. They look at how dialogue empowers combat scenes, switching POVs in the middle of a chapter, keeping track of characters, picking the pain for the reader, and cast combinations. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, the three Dialogue Doctor Coaches (Jeff, Laura, and JP) unite to talk about what they are learning, what they are working on, and why everyone should sign up for the Dialogue Dash. To sign up for the Dash, click here: https://dialoguedoctor.teachable.com/p/dialogue-dash-80-days-until-done-fall-2024 For more on the craft of writing, click here: https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff and Mendi look at the beats of her story and talk about how to create a powerful emotional experience by using dialogue. They how the size of the cast in each scene changes what you should do with the scene, how the number of characters in the scene impact the intimacy with the reader, and where to put exposition in the story. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Laura Humm takes questions from the Dialogue Doctor Community. They discuss how to use interior monologue and building emotion, the difference between prose and dialogue and how both things impact the reader, how to use body language to build emotion, tips on having to read and edit your own work, how to make sure your character voices sound different from one another, and much more. For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com - https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this session, Jeff and Victoria Tait take a deep dive into building a cast. They talk about building characters across a series, the VEAH system, how to direct character change over a single books and multiple books, designing characters for your genre, and more. For more on the craft of writing, check out the DialogueDoctor.com - https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX holds and office hour. He and the other Dialoggers on the call discuss JP's book the Story Hypothesis, how to plot character change, what the length of a novel should be, and how to let the reader know a character's background without just telling them the character's background. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with new author Liz Mason to talk about Liz's work in process. The talk about how the reader experiences emotion in a story, why it is important to have characters interacting, and how to find a scene if you have written a lot of summaries. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm holds an Office Hour with four different authors. Together they discuss, how to keep track of the details in your book, how to manage flashbacks, should you add emails or letters to your narrative, the benefits and draw backs of having more than one POV, and more. For more on writing craft, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/summer-fall-2024-events/

In this episode, we share a webinar from the Spring Dialogue Dash. We talk about how to build a main character. We discuss developing a character's personality and the character's voice. We then dive into what happens when you have more than one vehicle and why it is important to provide variety. Finally, we get into voice modulation and how it interacts with the plot of the story.  To join us for the next Dialogue Dash, you can sign up here: https://dialoguedoctor.teachable.com/p/dialogue-dash-80-days-until-done-fall-2024  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with members of the community to analyze the cast of Knives Out. They discuss how the multiple vehicle structure works, how the cast members impact one another, and what we can learn from the script for our own work. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Holly Lyne to look at her work in progress. They talk about laying out the emotional beats of a scene, world building in dialogue, creating mystery in a book and a scene, and using body language and inner thoughts to pull the reader into the emotional experience. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author and Enneagram guru Claire Taylor. Jeff and Claire talk about why author's should know their number, how the Enneagram compares to other personality assessments, why the Enneagram is good for self understanding, and then ways you can use the Enneagram as a writer. You can find all things Claire Taylor at FFS Media - https://www.ffs.media  For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with author AG Bowman to discuss AG's opening scene. They discuss how to show the scene over telling facts, how to maintain a gritty noir narrative voice, how to help the reader experience the Vehicle character's feelings, working with an unreliable narrator, and managing journal entries. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, JP sits down with Author Ann Garvin. Ann is a scientist turned humorist, a USA TODAY and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of five books. JP and Ann discuss her journey from science to writing, how she helps writers enchant readers with high concepts, keeping characters centric to your writing, asking what the purpose of a story is, and her writing group the Tall Poppy Writers. To find more about Ann and check out her work, go to https://anngarvin.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with new author Dixie Williams to look at a scene Dixie has written. They talk about writing well known family tropes, making sure the reader knows who is in the scene so the reader can imagine the scene, orienting family relationships at the opening of the scene so we understand the family's dynamic, and paying attention to the family dynamics when creating flash backs. For more on the craft of writing, head over to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this Time with Tom, Editor, Bookstore Owner, and author Tom Holbrook takes time out of his vacation to talk books and personal updates with Jeff. To find Tom's work, check out his services here https://holbrookauthorservices.com/ For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Mary Van Everboeck to talk about a short story she is writing. They talk about finding themes, creating driving conflicts, and the difference between a short story and a scene from a novel. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coaches Jeff Elkins and JP Rindfleisch IX talk about the book The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop by Felicia Rose Chavez. They discuss the principles of the book, how they aspire to replicate these attitudes in their coaching, and how this kind of work has impacted their writing and editing. And Jeff makes everything mushy in the end. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/ To get a copy of The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop, go to https://www.antiracistworkshop.com/

In this Ask Me Anything Session, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm talks with author Mara about the plot twists she's planning for her work in process. They discuss tricking readers, setting up twists in advance, and how Sherlock Holmes novels worked. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff has all his questions about traditional publishing by Chuck Sambuchino. Chuck talks with Jeff about how to approach agents, what authors' expectations around traditional publishing should be, and what about traditional publishing is a myth vs what is real. For Chuck's blog, events, and writing, check out https://chucksambuchino.com/ For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Erica Gloss to talk about Erica's work in progress. To open, they discuss the power of stories to normalize difficult topics like mental health and create a feeling of shared experience among readers. Turning to Erica's work, they talk about making the themes of Erica's opening scene pop by directing details toward them. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff interviews award-winning author Leslye Penelope. They discuss her author career, her writing podcasts, and how she builds powerful fantasy worlds. To find Leslye's work, go to https://lpenelope.com/ For more on writing characters and dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Joan Lightning to look at Joan's work-in-progress. They talk about keeping all the characters included in the dialogue, using character positioning and body language to build romantic tension, using inner thoughts, avoiding summaries, and building fantasy worlds. For more on writing powerful dialogue and characters, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm and Jeff answer questions from the Dialoggers about editing character voices, writing accents, building languages from scratch, and the difference between a scene and a chapter. For more on writing dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with author Lisa Young to talk about Lisa's cast of characters. They discuss Lisa's Story Hypothesis to understand her character's growth and the themes of her story. JP and Lisa discuss how the character's arc can accentuate the themes and growth arcs. They also discuss how to use the cast around the character will impact the character's growth, and they talk about growing a relationship between characters across a longer series by beginning with the end in mind. Finally, they talk about the different types of scenes Lisa has written and how they work together. For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX interviews writer and writing teacher, Daniel David Wallace. JP and Daniel talk about how Daniel's background in academics has shaped how he teaches writing, Daniel's Character First approach, the necessity of getting the story started right away, looking past the surface level of a plot to the deeper needs of the character, the online events Daniel puts on, and much more. To find more of Daniel's work, check out https://danieldavidwallace.com/ For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Editor and High Fantasy/Steam Punk writer Catherine Herandez. They discuss a short story Catherine is working on. They discuss introducing characters, balancing tension in scenes, and organizing your story around emotional tension. They also get into world-building and explaining the setting of the scene. For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Lisa Bonneau to talk about her work in progress. They talk about seamlessly integrating flashbacks into a scene and keeping one-on-one scenes building energy.   For more on dialogue, come and join us at https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Laura Humm sits down with author MZ to look at MZ's work in progress. They discuss writing children's voices and keeping them different from adult voices, and they talk about pacing a scene. For more on writing dialogue, come and join us at https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this solo episode, Jeff breaks down different types of cast members and how to use them to manipulate the power of your scenes and the power of your plot. This episode if part two of a teaching on cast building. Part one is episode 185 - https://dialoguedoctor.com/2024/01/24/episode-185-understanding-your-main-characters/  For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Aaron Betts to talk through Aaron's work in progress. They look at Aaron's plot, discuss how the story should operate as a journey narrative, and talk about how the characters should change as the journey progresses. They then discuss the characters and how they compliment each other as engines and anchors. For more on writing dialogue, head over to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff hangs out with author/editor/bookstore owner Tom Holbrook. They talk about stories they've enjoyed recently and stories they've consumed that were broken. They then discuss what someone should look for in an editor; and Jeff also goes full "grumpy old man" about publishing as he and Tom talk about what they are encountering as editors. For Tom's editing services go to https://holbrookauthorservices.com/ Find Tom's bookstore at https://riverrunbookstore.com/ For more from the Dialogue Doctor, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In in this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with author Fiona Chan to look at a section of Fiona's work in progress. They discuss the character voices, showing and not telling with the action, and the characters' motivations. It's a wonderful deep dive into how to write strong characters that change through the story. For more on writing dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff and Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX discuss the classic book on writing scenes, "Scene & Structure" by Jack M. Bickham. They talk about the evolution of writing advice, the system Bickham sets up for scene building, and the components of an amazing scene. For more on writing amazing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with Historical Fantasy author Madeline Davis to look at a scene from Madeline's current work in progress. They discuss increasing the emotional intensity of the scene by replacing expositional summaries with getting characters speaking to each other, building frustration through vocalization, and taking into account what the Vehicle Character (the POV) has experienced before we choose the words the character uses. For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with publisher and author agent David Morris to talk about his history in publishing, the difference between a small publisher and an agent, and what he looks for in authors. You can find David's publishing house (Lake Drive Books) at https://www.lakedrivebooks.com/ You can find his work as a literary agent (Hyponymous Literary Agency) at https://www.hyponymous.com/ For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Holly Lyne to look at the first chapter of Holly's work in progress. They discuss the character growth arc and then look for ways in the first chapter to set up the character for stronger emotional payoff as the character changes. They also look at the character's voice and modulating the voice to demonstrate change. For more on Dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/summer-fall-2024-events/  

In this Episode, Jeff meets up with some of the Dialoggers (members of the Dialogue Doctor Community) to talk about the movie the Big Short and discuss how to craft a story with multiple vehicle characters. To join the Dialogger community and participate in conversations like this, go to https://www.patreon.com/JeffElkins

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm is joined by author Danielle Bonneau. Together they edit one of Danielle's scenes and talk about how to give it a greater emotional impact. They discuss balancing drama with facts in historical fiction, expressing emotions through character vocalizations, using the surroundings to amplify emotions, and slowing down to increase the emotional power of the scene. For more on writing amazing dialogue and powerful characters, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/