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Mark has a conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor.
Prior to the main segment, Mark explains his goof-up that led to releasing this particular episode and then shares a few words about this episode’s sponsor.
You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.
During their conversation Mark and Jeff speak, chat, discuss, converse, reflect, consider, chew on, and talk about about:
- How a book that is 160 K can read like it’s so much shorter because it’s 95% dialogue
- Remembering that dialogue is just another tool that we, as writers can use – and how can it help impact the emotional resonance of your story
- The distance skyline of NYC versus the details of a narrow street as a parallel for two types of writing (prose and dialogue)
- The energy-building dialogue of Aaron Sorkin in shows like The West Wing
- Dialogue in action scenes
- The love/hate relationship writers can have with dialogue tags
- And more…
After the interview Mark reflects on one of the things he is going to try in his own writing to help improve his dialogue.
Links of Interest:
- Jeff Elkins’ Website
- The Dialogue Doctor
- Draft2Digital LIVE (Self-Publishing Insiders) – Sept 1, 2022 – The Dialogue Doctor with Jeff Elkins (FULL INTERVIEW)
- Episode 157 – A Conversation with Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor
- Episode 172 – Understanding and Navigating Gender
- Episode 226 – Reflective Round Table December 2021
- Buy Mark a Coffee
- Patreon for Stark Reflections
- Best Book Ever Podcast
- Lovers Moon Podcast
- The Relaxed Author
- Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
- An Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
- Wide for the Win
- Mark’s Canadian Werewolf Books
- The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Jeff Elkins writes stories about outsiders who fight for outcasts, rejects, and the oppressed. He is the author of more than ten novels, a Certified Three Story Method Editor, and the host of the Dialogue Doctor podcast. During the day, he leads the writing team for a training company that simulates difficult conversations. He lives north of Baltimore, Maryland with his wife of twenty-years and his five kids.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Very interesting to hear Jeff talk about dialogue. What struck me the most was in the beginning when he said that the modern reader loses focus after reading three paragraphs of prose, so to keep their interest put more dialogue in. That’s definitely something I need to start doing in my own writing. Especially in the first few chapters to keep the reader turning the pages.