The Dialogue Doctor Podcast

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Dennis Kurlas to talk about his work in progress. They discuss the options you have when your novel is almost finished and you are tweaking it. Specifically, they discuss how to add emotional weight to scenes.  For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com

In this episode, Jeff and Laura answer questions from the community. Questions include: Where is the sweet spot between frustrating the reader by having the characters either over-explain or under-explain how their world works? Do you have any advice on how to write movement without using the words directly associated with the action? For example, the phrase "The leaves rustled about him." Can this phrase serve as a substitute for he turned, he spun, he twirled, or even he levitated? I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we can use phrases creatively to signal different types of movement to readers. When querying agents whom you've already pitched to at a conference, what do i include, since they already want to see it. i know you told me some things, but still aren't 100%. thank you! What's one thing you can do while drafting that will make editing easier for yourself or a hired editor? How do I know if my story is working? How do I write toward the emotional payoff and set up a solid ending to the story without making the story predictable? Are there any differences between demonstrating character growth in inner dialog, character dialog vocalization, and actions / choices? Are there situations that stand out where one is better than the other? How can I know how much to trust my reader to “get it?” Where is the balance between telling them too much and creating nuance and mystery in my story? How do I push past competent writing to create something memorable? How do I know if my writing is any good? When is it time to stop revising? For more on the craft of writing or to join the community, come to https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff teaches the Dialoggers about plot structure. Together they work through plot styles for single vehicle and multi vehicle stories. Then they discuss the story Love Actually and examine how a Mosaic Plot style works.  For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Holly Lyne to talk about her series in progress. Jeff and Holly revive her excitement for the series and discover the plot of the series by analyzing the character growth arcs.  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 Emma-Jane Heaton to discuss the story Emma-Jane is working on. They talk about writing characters the reader may not like, how characters grow, what the emotional journey looks like, and Emma-Jane's story hypothesis. Go and check out JP's Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jprindfleischix/mosswood-apothecary-cozy-queer-fantasy-collectors-edition  For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this bonus episode, JP Rindfleisch IX talks about his ongoing successful Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jprindfleischix/mosswood-apothecary-cozy-queer-fantasy-collectors-edition

In this episode, Jeff interviews Angela Haas and Cassie Newell from The Author Next Door podcast. Jeff, Angela, and Cassie discuss the life of an author and how it changes as you grow and mature. They talk about Cassie and Angela's new adventures into romance and their new podcast. To learn more about what Cassie and Angela are doing, check out https://theauthornextdoor.com/ For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm explains how voices should change with a character's age. She talks about how children should sound vs how teens should sound vs how adults should sound. She goes deep into how to structure character voices. For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX helps Jeff figure scenes to the screenplay he is writing using Tarot. Jeff and JP talk plot and emotional moves and characterization. ' For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff is joined by sales expert Rob Jolles. Rob schools Jeff on what selling is, how to convince people, and why selling is critical to being an author. To find Rob online and work with him, check out https://jolles.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Jenny Wilson to talk about Jenny's work in progress. They dive into Jenny's protagonist, discuss how to humanize her, look at her character growth arc, and discuss character voice modulation. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff is joined by Tom Holbrook for another TIME WITH TOM. In this episode, they discuss Tom's transition out of bookstore ownership, what they've been reading and what they are learning from it, what issues their clients are facing, and what they are working on. To find Tom and work with him, go to: https://holbrookauthorservices.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Author Don Elliot to talk about his epic fantasy series. They look at Don's opening scene and talk about how adding perspective increases the emotional impact of the scene. They also discuss how to plot a long series by starting with character growth. To find Don't work, check out https://donelliott.us/ For more on the craft of writing, go to: https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this Joint with JP, Jeff and JP examine Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. They discuss Ray Bradbury's writing challenge, why someone should write, the role of plot in a story, and other nuggets from the book. For more on the craft of dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with four authors for an "office hour." Office hours are times when members from the community come to ask a coach any questions they are struggling with. In this office hour, JP covers: --what are the most important rules to follow? --how do you edit a scene that is too long down to a digestible size? --what do you do when a conversation in a scene is going too long? --where do you come up with categories for a plot? --how do you introduce a character who will be in multiple books? And more. For JP's work, check out https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/ For more on the craft of writing or to hire JP as a coach, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff and Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm take questions from the community. They discuss how to manage beta readers, how to find the right developmental editor, what do you need to disclose to an editor about AI, large groups of people talking, and plotting long series. For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Scott Veatch to talk about his work in process. They dig deep into one of Scott's scenes to talk about maintaining the emotional impact of the scene, using emotion to communicate dialogue, maintaining consistency in inner thought, and more. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, 8 members of the dialogue doctor community sent in pitches of their work. Jeff sits down with Lindsey Hughes to discuss the goods and bads of each pitch. Whether you are pitching your book to an agent, your screenplay, or your book to amazon, the lessons in this episode will be helpful. To find Lindsey and her work, check out https://thepitchmaster.com/ 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 Lisa Bonneau to talk over her plot. They use tarot cards to work out the various plot beats. T o work with JP or to learn more about the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author WV Rarick to look at WV's work in progress. They discuss when you should reveal how your character looks, using dialogue tags to change emotional context of an exchange, when to add prose to clarify emotions, and making sure your character growth arcs are clean and easy for the reader to follow. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, the Godfather of the Dialogue Doctor Podcast, J Thorn returns to talk about a new AI tool he has created. Using multiple AI Engines J talks about how he analyzes manuscripts. In the process of discussing his new tool, J and Jeff speculate on the state of the market and on the future of book-selling and AI. To find J's tool, check out https://www.fiverr.com/jthornwriter/critique-your-manuscript-with-ai-and-expertise  

In this special episode, the coaches handle topics raised by the Dialoggers. After catching up on their work, the coaches discuss branding, social media, and organizing complex tasks.   To work with one of our coaches, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/coaching/  

In this episode, Laura Humm and author Mary Van Everboeck talk about Mary's work. They discuss what Mary is hoping for from her work, how she has evolved as a part of the Dialogue Doctor community, combining thrillers and literary fiction, how to lay out a story, and more. If you want to join the Dialogue Doctor Community, or want to learn more about the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode of the Dialogue Doctor, our poetry teacher Edward Gillespie returns to teach Jeff all about Allen Ginsberg. They read some of Ginsberg's poetry, discuss the historical importance of his work, and then try to grapple with the controversies surrounding him. To find Ed's work, go to https://apprenticehouse.com/qa-with-edward-doyle-gillespie-author-of-gentrifying-the-plague-house/ For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Emma Jane Heaton to talk about the three book science fiction series Emma is working on. They discuss writing when you only have short bursts of time, keeping the complexity of a plot interesting for readers, intertwining multiple POV plots, and moving through a trilogy. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/ Also, subscribe to the free Dialogue Doctor Newsletter to get updates on the Dialogue Doctor. https://dialoguedoctor.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=486bed00f9c27e9e5f39bb863&id=9a924168ac  

In this episode, Jeff and several of the Dialoggers discuss the Netflix romantic comedy, Nobody Wants This. They talk about the cast, how the personalities interact, and how we can use the VEAH System (Vehicles, Engines, Anchors, and Hazards) to build our own casts that work. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Tom Holbrook returns for another Time with Tom. In this episode, Tom and Jeff break down their favorite stories recently, talk about the difference and similarities between fiction and non-fiction editing, and Tom shares some huge news.

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Lisa Bonneau to look at the story she is working on. Lisa comes to the session with three questions: How to increase the emotional tension of a scene? 2. How to create more artistic sounding body language? 3. When to add body language into a piece? In response, Jeff breaks down how emotions work on the page and the different tools we as writers have to enhance or diminish them. Jeff, Laura, and JP are available to book for coaching sessions at https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff interviews Emily Barrosse from Bold Story Press. They discuss Emily's 32 years in the publishing industry, how she has seen publishing evolve, her advice for new writers entering the industry, her passion for publishing female voices, and much more. To find Emily and Bold Story Press, go to https://www.boldstorypress.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Laura Humm sits down for an Ask Me Anything session with author Julie Catherine. They talk about using different plot frameworks across a series, how a character grows across a series, points of view in a romance, how to distinguish differing points of view, how character growth arcs impact the plot of the romance, and more. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff and Laura come together for a Q&A. Questions from the Dialoggers included: ---How do you keep track of everything for long, complex stories with elaborate world building? ---How do you make a novel's opening scene engaging while also needing to establish 'the new world'?  ---Considering how expensive audio books are to produce, at what point should an indie author jump on it? ---What are some good tactics on how to improve your prose and more clearly find your voice? ---How do you make necessary transition scenes interesting without changing the plot? ---I want to take part in promotions/giveaways that help build my email list and give me reviews, but I have my books in KDP select which means I'm not supposed to give away free books. Do I take my books out of KU? Thoughts on which one would be more beneficial? Is it just unheard of that new authors don't have their books in KDP select? ---How is a book description different from a blurb? I'm struggling with this because I feel like I just nailed the blurb, but now I need book descriptions for when I have my book in a promotion. I looked up the difference so I'm familiar with the definition of a book description, but are there tips for writing one to make it different from the blurb? ---Can you offer titles similar to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and TV shows similar to Nobody Wants This? The more, the merrier. I haven't laughed this much in years! Love it! ---Any tips on summarizing the passage of time in between conversations. I generally handle the passage of time by changing scenes, but in certain examples I would end up with rather small scenes. Situations I have run into in the past follow the pattern: start with a conversation, summarize a non-trivial activity that would take too long to relay in real time, then end with another conversation. For more on the craft of writing or to get coaching, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX holds Office Hours with three authors. Office Hours are times when authors and hangout with a Dialogue Doctor Coach and ask questions they have. In this episode, JP and that authors discuss what to do when the middle of your book starts to fade, how do you keep someone interested in your character as you build out the character's problem overtime, ways to provide depth of perspective, and more. For more on writing or to book a coaching session with JP, come to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

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/