

The Dialogue Doctor Podcast
Jeff Elkins
Writing great books is critical to generating sales and building a following of readers. On the Dialogue Doctor Podcast, Jeff Elkins and other writers discuss how to write dialogue that will excite readers and help you sell more books.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 28, 2025 • 1h 10min
Episode 273 - Brainstorming with Tarot
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/

Apr 21, 2025 • 1h 10min
Episode 272 - How to Sell with Rob Jolles
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/

Apr 14, 2025 • 1h 9min
Episode 271 - Humanizing a Villain with Laura Humm
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/

Apr 7, 2025 • 1h 15min
Episode 270 - Time with Tom
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/

Mar 31, 2025 • 1h
Episode 269 - How Perspective Changes a Scene
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/

Mar 24, 2025 • 1h 17min
Episode 268 - Zen in the Art of Writing
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/

Mar 17, 2025 • 57min
Episode 267 - Tips on Editing Your Story
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/

Mar 10, 2025 • 1h 23min
Episode 266 - Plotting Long Story Lines and Finishing the Book
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

Mar 3, 2025 • 1h 8min
Episode 265 - Maintaining Emotional Impact with Laura Humm
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/

Feb 24, 2025 • 1h 17min
Episode 264 - Pitching Your Work with the Pitch Master
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/


