The Dialogue Doctor Podcast

In this episode, Jeff sits down with first time author Matt Brook to talk about the beats of his first story. Matt comes to Jeff with a summary of the story, and they work together to find the scenes in the summary. They talk about how to find the confidence you need to finish your book, goals as an author, whether or not you should be worried about genre conventions, and how to take a summary of a story and find the scenes you need to make it work. Jeff shows Matt how to find a beat inside each story. For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff, JP, and Laura (the Dialogue Doctor Coaches) join forces to talk about what they've learned in the last three years, their favorite moments, what they hope to attempt in the future, what is coming in the fall of 2024, and other things. For more from the Dialogue Doctor Coaches, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX works with Author Viver Israel to refine the characters in her cast. They start off by talking through JP and Viver's Story Hypothesis and how Viver's characters change. They talk through Viver's main character's voice and major voice modulations, and then they look at the voices of Viver's other cast members and how they all relate to one another. To find more of JP's work, check out https://www.jprindfleischix.com/ To learn more about writing dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch sits down with narrator and audio producer Kirt Graves to talk about audiobook production. Kirt shares about how his history in debate and growing up gay helped him built the super power of empathy. He talks about how he collaborates with authors, the role of the author in a narration project, and how to give the narrator good notes. JP and Kirt also talk about working on queer books and why representation is important. To find more of Kirt's work or to hire Kirt, check out https://www.kirtreads.com/ To find Kirt's podcast Hoof and Fang, go to https://www.hoofandfangpodcast.com/ For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

Jeff and editor/writer/bookstore owner Tom Holbrook come together to talk about what they are seeing in the book world. They talk about things they are encountering frequently as editors, stories that they've recently loved, stories they consumed that were broken, and about the state of publishing in general. To find Tom online, go to https://holbrookauthorservices.com/ For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach sits down with fantasy author Mark August to talk about writing a big cast with multiple points-of-view. Laura and Mark talk about introducing lots of characters, Laura breaks down how to introduce a lot of characters, letting us know who is in the scene, and getting characters talking right away. To find more of Mark's work, go to https://readmarkaugust.com/books/ For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

WARNING - this episode contains conversation about suicide and violence. If you are thinking about hurting yourself, please call 988 now. Help is available. You can speak with someone today. In this episode, we are kicking off poetry month. Jeff sits down with poet Edward Doyle-Gillespie to talk about what inspires Ed to write poetry, why he loves it, and how it is different than writing fiction. To find more of Ed's poetry, check out his work on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edoylegillespie?mibextid=ZbWKwL

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Jenny Wilson to talk about her cast. They work through her vehicle's voice and how her vehicle needs to change during the story, then they talk about her surrounding cast members and how those cast members can enhance the reader's experience. For more on dialogue and characterization, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Don Elliot to talk about plotting out a longer series. They talk about how to manage it, how to role it out to readers, and how to make it feel realistic. Jeff stresses in the episode that it is important to hook the reader at the scene/character level. They also talk plot structures, Game of Thrones, and the Godfather. For more on this, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, JP Rindfleisch the IX and Jeff talk about Houston Howard's book, You're Gonna Need a Bigger Story. JP takes Jeff through the main points and the process together how the story might impact their writing. To find more of JP, check out https://www.jprindfleischix.com/ For more on writing dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Eric Heuser to look at a scene Eric is working on. Jeff and Eric talk about adding a POV to a work in progress, building emotional resonance, writing a character with a different interior and exterior voice, using reflective prose in segment breaks to give the reader a feeling of intimacy. For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Laura and Jeff answer questions from the Dialoggers. Questions include: --Suggestions for plotting and planning a longer series, --How to write dialogue in a group scene where you have six or more characters in the discussion? --When trying to establish characters, world, and show the 'normal' state of life for them, how do you keep it interesting? This is especially tricky with fantasy considering the world building. --How do you choose to read a new author? Like do you choose mood or genre first? What do you type into Amazon? --What if your vehicle's steps towards their true need feel repetitive? People and/or situations change, but the choice or action seem too similar? --Can you offer any tips to help a writer who normally writes third-person close; write first-person? --Can you recommend a framework for finding the sweet spot between overwriting and underwriting during the drafting process? For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with Scott Fishman to talk about the memoir Scott is writing. They talk about the use of italics, using paragraph spacing to break up blocks of text making it more readable, using conversational spacing to create the feeling of dialogue, building to a dramatic summary conclusion at the end of a story, and more. For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with LeAnn Robison to look at a "Big Cast" scene she's written. Big cast scenes are scenes of three or more characters. Jeff and LeAnn focus on managing a six character cast in a scene, what to do when the characters don't all participate equally, and how to keep all the characters engaged so the reader isn't surprised when the characters return. For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Nancy Stark. As they look at a piece together, they go deep into all things dialogue. They talk about varying character voices, the Dialogue Daisy, when and how to use prose, and how to maximize the impact of your dialogue. For more on dialogue, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Carrie Thomas to talk about a piece Carrie has been working on. They talk about how editing and plotting can cause you to lose passion for you project, they talk about the struggle of writing a complicated story with multiple POV, and making sure your story clearly communicates your themes. For more on writing dialogue and engaging characters, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this solo episode, Jeff goes deep into a vehicle character. He breaks down what a vehicle characer is and then contrasts the five different types of vehicles. Jeff talks about what makes each vehicle special and how they can be used in your story to provide your reader with a satisfying emotional journey. For more on writing dialogue, head over to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with an author to talk about a multi-vehicle plot in which one of the main vehicles is an unlikable villain. They talk about empathizing with your main characters, understanding how a character can grow in a negative direction and still keep the reader hooked in with hope, and how to build complimenting characters around the villain. To register for the masterclass on writing intimacy, go to https://dialoguedoctor.teachable.com/p/story-intimacy For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX and author Madeline Davis sit down to talk through her plot and characters together. JP looks at each main character's Story Hypothesis and they discuss how the characters' wants and needs impact their story arcs. For more on dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/ To get a copy of the Story Hypothesis, go to https://www.amazon.com/Story-Hypothesis-Missing-Fiction-Puzzle-ebook/dp/B0CCK47B3Q/

Happy New Year! In this episode, Jeff lays out what the Dialogue Doctor community will be up to in 2024. Then, Jeff and JP talk about the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. Jeff takes JP through the book and they discuss how authors can apply the business principles Jim Collins talks about. For more on writing dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/