First Draft Friday: Conversations about author craft

Episode 45 - Amy L. Bernstein - Revealing Character Through Dialogue

Jul 10, 2022

Amy L. Bernstein and Alessandra Torre discuss the art of revealing character through dialogue in fiction. They delve into techniques for crafting unique character voices and avoiding mundane conversations. The episode includes a comparison of character dialogue in 'Pride and Prejudice' and tips on maintaining consistency in character interactions for richer narratives.

31:08

Episode guests

Amy L. Bernstein

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Integrating action beats into dialogue helps authors depict personalities effectively without excessive verbal description.

Dialogue combined with character actions can reveal underlying tensions, connections, and dynamics in storytelling.

Deep dives

Balancing Character Dialogue with Action

The podcast episode emphasizes the importance of balancing character dialogue with action to reveal key characteristics. By integrating action beats into dialogue, such as using specific gestures or movements, authors can effectively depict personalities and relationships. For instance, in a scene where a character lifts a burger with both hands and uses his sleeve to catch ketchup, his actions provide insight into his playful or unrefined nature, creating a vivid portrayal without excessive verbal description.

Introduction

3min

Unveiling Character Through Dialogue

11min

Character Dialogue Analysis: Contrasting Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Bennett

4min

Mastering Character Dialogue for Richer Narratives

11min

Exploring the Role of Dialogue in Character Dynamics and Scene Building

2min

In this episode of First Draft Friday from Authors A.I. our guest, Amy L. Bernstein is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about the critical do’s and don’ts of dialogue in fiction.

Writing convincing dialogue is not easy! Characters tell us who they are by what they say, what they withhold, and what they think to themselves. Which techniques work best in a scene?

Join us as Amy discusses Revealing Character Through Dialogue.

This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!

Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?
Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/

This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!

Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?
Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/

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