Crafting Engaging Dialogue in Writing

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Engaging dialogue in writing is not a transcript of actual conversations which often contain empty words and tangents. Effective dialogue must advance the conflict or action in the story. The best dialogue relates directly to the main character's desires and obstacles, maintaining tension and adversarial elements. Redirection in dialogue, through introducing unexpected responses or nonverbal cues, adds intrigue and captivates the reader. Creating compelling dialogue involves being economical yet verbose to keep the audience guessing and engaged in the unfolding disagreements and interactions.

Two words: Storytelling. Masterclass.

Yeah, yeah, we know — “become a better storyteller” is probably the most basic writing advice out there. But this episode is far from basic. It’s all about the storytelling advice you actually need that you didn’t get in school.

Once upon a time, Nat wrote online SEO blogs: simple, generic, and kind of boring. What he really wanted was to write a memoir: something narrative, beautiful, and exciting. But his storytelling skills didn’t match his vision. So, for two years, Nat disappeared into a cave to master the art of storytelling. He emerged with Crypto Confidential, a captivating memoir that Grammarly hates and readers love. And in this episode, he reveals the not-so-basic tactics he learned as a self-made storyteller.

Want to write stories that people actually read? This episode is for you.

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