198 - The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now

Episode 198 - The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now with Jeff Elkins

August 8, 2023

Jeff Elkins talks about his book THE DIALOGUE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW, including how the writing craft is like football; the importance of understanding the craft tools you need to attain moments of artistry; how writing dialogue is not a soft skill; how dialogue isn't only verbal; the three tools of communicating a character's emotional journey; how, if you really want to hammer a moment, you need to bang on it; and, coming back to our sports analogy, how dialogue is a team sport.

If one of those topics piques your interest, you can easily jump to that section on YouTube by clicking on the flagged timestamps in the description.

"We have to master those tiny tools. and we have to be constantly working on those tiny tools, because moments of artistry, they do show up at kind of beautiful and unexpected times, but they are empowered by the everyday practice that we put in the understanding of those little bitty moments and tools." —Jeff Elkins

Jeff Elkins is a writer, podcaster, and writing coach. He’s the author of eleven novels including INSIDE OUTSIDE and the NRDS Series. As the Dialogue Doctor, he helps writers engage with readers by teaching them to write better dialogue. He has a BA in Religion from Baylor University and an MDiv from Truett Seminary. He lives with his wife and five kids north of Baltimore, Maryland.

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I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Jeff! In your own writing, are you using all three of the methods Jeff mentioned to communicate a character’s emotional journey—their vocalizations, their body language, and their inner reflections? If the point of view of your work doesn’t provide access to a character’s inner reflections, how do you compensate for that with the other two tools, vocalizations and body language?

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Episode 198 - The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now with Jeff Elkins

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