Episode 283 - Time with Tom!
In this episode, Jeff is joined by Tom Holbrook (author, editor, coach, and former bookstore owner). They discuss story and what they are seeing as editors.
Jul 07, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 283
The Dialogue Doctor Podcast
Writing great books is critical to generating sales and building a following of readers. On the Dialogue Doctor Podcast, Jeff Elkins and other writers discuss how to write dialogue that will excite readers and help you sell more books.
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Episodes
Episode 282 - Writing YA and Leading with Emotion
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Ted Atchley to look at a scene from his work in progress. They discuss character voices, writing YA, and leading scenes with emotion. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 282
Episode 281 - Examining Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin
In this episode, Jeff meets up with three of the members of the Dialogue Doctor Community to dissect and learn from the short story Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin. For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Jun 23, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 281
Episode 280 - Adding Emotional Weight with Dennis Kurlas
In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Dennis Kurlas to talk about his work in progress. They discuss the options you have when your novel is almost finished and you are tweaking it. Specifically, they discuss how to add emotional weight to scenes. For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com
Jun 16, 2025•52 min•Ep. 280
Episode 279 - Jeff and Laura Q&A
In this episode, Jeff and Laura answer questions from the community. Questions include: Where is the sweet spot between frustrating the reader by having the characters either over-explain or under-explain how their world works? Do you have any advice on how to write movement without using the words directly associated with the action? For example, the phrase "The leaves rustled about him." Can this phrase serve as a substitute for he turned, he spun, he twirled, or even he levitated? I’d love to...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 279
Episode 278 - Story Structure: Plots, Mosaic Plots, and Love Actually
In this episode, Jeff teaches the Dialoggers about plot structure. Together they work through plot styles for single vehicle and multi vehicle stories. Then they discuss the story Love Actually and examine how a Mosaic Plot style works. For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 278
Episode 277 - Building a Series Through Character Growth
In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Holly Lyne to talk about her series in progress. Jeff and Holly revive her excitement for the series and discover the plot of the series by analyzing the character growth arcs. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
May 26, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 277
Episode 276 - Writing Unlikeable Characters
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with author Emma-Jane Heaton to discuss the story Emma-Jane is working on. They talk about writing characters the reader may not like, how characters grow, what the emotional journey looks like, and Emma-Jane's story hypothesis. Go and check out JP's Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jprindfleischix/mosswood-apothecary-cozy-queer-fantasy-collectors-edition For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dial...
May 19, 2025•59 min•Ep. 276
Bonus Episode - Kickstarter
In this bonus episode, JP Rindfleisch IX talks about his ongoing successful Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jprindfleischix/mosswood-apothecary-cozy-queer-fantasy-collectors-edition
May 14, 2025•20 min
Episode 275 - Your Sophomore Year of Writing
In this episode, Jeff interviews Angela Haas and Cassie Newell from The Author Next Door podcast. Jeff, Angela, and Cassie discuss the life of an author and how it changes as you grow and mature. They talk about Cassie and Angela's new adventures into romance and their new podcast. To learn more about what Cassie and Angela are doing, check out https://theauthornextdoor.com/ For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 276
Episode 274 - Writing Character Voices of Different Ages
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm explains how voices should change with a character's age. She talks about how children should sound vs how teens should sound vs how adults should sound. She goes deep into how to structure character voices. For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com
May 05, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 274
Episode 273 - Brainstorming with Tarot
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX helps Jeff figure scenes to the screenplay he is writing using Tarot. Jeff and JP talk plot and emotional moves and characterization. ' For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 273
Episode 272 - How to Sell with Rob Jolles
In this episode, Jeff is joined by sales expert Rob Jolles. Rob schools Jeff on what selling is, how to convince people, and why selling is critical to being an author. To find Rob online and work with him, check out https://jolles.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 272
Episode 271 - Humanizing a Villain with Laura Humm
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Jenny Wilson to talk about Jenny's work in progress. They dive into Jenny's protagonist, discuss how to humanize her, look at her character growth arc, and discuss character voice modulation. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 271
Episode 270 - Time with Tom
In this episode, Jeff is joined by Tom Holbrook for another TIME WITH TOM. In this episode, they discuss Tom's transition out of bookstore ownership, what they've been reading and what they are learning from it, what issues their clients are facing, and what they are working on. To find Tom and work with him, go to: https://holbrookauthorservices.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 270
Episode 269 - How Perspective Changes a Scene
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Author Don Elliot to talk about his epic fantasy series. They look at Don's opening scene and talk about how adding perspective increases the emotional impact of the scene. They also discuss how to plot a long series by starting with character growth. To find Don't work, check out https://donelliott.us/ For more on the craft of writing, go to: https://dialoguedoctor.com/...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 269
Episode 268 - Zen in the Art of Writing
In this Joint with JP, Jeff and JP examine Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. They discuss Ray Bradbury's writing challenge, why someone should write, the role of plot in a story, and other nuggets from the book. For more on the craft of dialogue, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 268
Episode 267 - Tips on Editing Your Story
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with four authors for an "office hour." Office hours are times when members from the community come to ask a coach any questions they are struggling with. In this office hour, JP covers: --what are the most important rules to follow? --how do you edit a scene that is too long down to a digestible size? --what do you do when a conversation in a scene is going too long? --where do you come up with categories for a plot? --how do yo...
Mar 17, 2025•57 min•Ep. 267
Episode 266 - Plotting Long Story Lines and Finishing the Book
In this episode, Jeff and Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm take questions from the community. They discuss how to manage beta readers, how to find the right developmental editor, what do you need to disclose to an editor about AI, large groups of people talking, and plotting long series. For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 266
Episode 265 - Maintaining Emotional Impact with Laura Humm
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Scott Veatch to talk about his work in process. They dig deep into one of Scott's scenes to talk about maintaining the emotional impact of the scene, using emotion to communicate dialogue, maintaining consistency in inner thought, and more. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 265
Episode 264 - Pitching Your Work with the Pitch Master
In this episode, 8 members of the dialogue doctor community sent in pitches of their work. Jeff sits down with Lindsey Hughes to discuss the goods and bads of each pitch. Whether you are pitching your book to an agent, your screenplay, or your book to amazon, the lessons in this episode will be helpful. To find Lindsey and her work, check out https://thepitchmaster.com/ For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 264
Episode 263 - Using Tarot for Plot Brainstorming
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with author Lisa Bonneau to talk over her plot. They use tarot cards to work out the various plot beats. T o work with JP or to learn more about the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 263
Episode 262 - Making the Emotional Journey Clear
In this episode, Jeff sits down with author WV Rarick to look at WV's work in progress. They discuss when you should reveal how your character looks, using dialogue tags to change emotional context of an exchange, when to add prose to clarify emotions, and making sure your character growth arcs are clean and easy for the reader to follow. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 262
Episode 261 - AI Diagnostics with J Thorn
In this episode, the Godfather of the Dialogue Doctor Podcast, J Thorn returns to talk about a new AI tool he has created. Using multiple AI Engines J talks about how he analyzes manuscripts. In the process of discussing his new tool, J and Jeff speculate on the state of the market and on the future of book-selling and AI. To find J's tool, check out https://www.fiverr.com/jthornwriter/critique-your-manuscript-with-ai-and-expertise...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 261
Episode 260 - Dialogue Doctor Coaches Unite!
In this special episode, the coaches handle topics raised by the Dialoggers. After catching up on their work, the coaches discuss branding, social media, and organizing complex tasks. To work with one of our coaches, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/coaching/
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 260
Episode 259 - Combining Genres with Laura Humm
In this episode, Laura Humm and author Mary Van Everboeck talk about Mary's work. They discuss what Mary is hoping for from her work, how she has evolved as a part of the Dialogue Doctor community, combining thrillers and literary fiction, how to lay out a story, and more. If you want to join the Dialogue Doctor Community, or want to learn more about the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Jan 20, 2025•57 min•Ep. 259
Episode 258 - Poetry Time with Ed - Allen Ginsberg
In this episode of the Dialogue Doctor, our poetry teacher Edward Gillespie returns to teach Jeff all about Allen Ginsberg. They read some of Ginsberg's poetry, discuss the historical importance of his work, and then try to grapple with the controversies surrounding him. To find Ed's work, go to https://apprenticehouse.com/qa-with-edward-doyle-gillespie-author-of-gentrifying-the-plague-house/ For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 258
Episode 257 - Building Complex Plots with Laura Humm
In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Emma Jane Heaton to talk about the three book science fiction series Emma is working on. They discuss writing when you only have short bursts of time, keeping the complexity of a plot interesting for readers, intertwining multiple POV plots, and moving through a trilogy. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/ Also, subscribe to the free Dialogue Doctor Newsletter to get updates on the Dialogu...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 257
Episode 256 - Cast Breakdown - Nobody Wants This
In this episode, Jeff and several of the Dialoggers discuss the Netflix romantic comedy, Nobody Wants This. They talk about the cast, how the personalities interact, and how we can use the VEAH System (Vehicles, Engines, Anchors, and Hazards) to build our own casts that work. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 256
Episode 255 - Time with Tom
In this episode, Tom Holbrook returns for another Time with Tom. In this episode, Tom and Jeff break down their favorite stories recently, talk about the difference and similarities between fiction and non-fiction editing, and Tom shares some huge news.
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 255
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