The Dialogue Doctor Podcast

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/