Podcast
The Dialogue Doctor Podcast
Hosted by Jeff Elkins · EN
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.
46episodes
Episodes
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The One Thing Your Emotional Scene Might Be Missing [Ep 339 - Audio Only]
1w ago01:02:07Tap to summarizeYour dialogue can be sharp. Your scene can move fast. Your characters can have real chemistry. But if the reader doesn't spend enough time inside the emotional turn, the biggest moment in the scene can fly by before it lands. In this episode of The Dialogue Doctor Podcast, Jeff Elkins works with sci-fi author Leanne Robinson on a dialogue-heavy scene between an alien woman and the hero who has complicated feelings for her. What begins as a fun, flirtatious reunion quickly turns into something much bigger: a relationship crisis, a betrayal, a pregnancy reveal, and a major turning point in Randy's emotional arc. Jeff's core advice is simple but powerful: emotional depth often comes from time on the page. You'll learn how to slow down the right moments without dragging the scene, how to expand key utterances so readers feel the emotional shift, how to use inner thought to clarify what a character is really reacting to, and how to separate romance, suspicion, betrayal, fear, and responsibility when they all collide in the same conversation. This session is especially useful if you write dialogue-heavy scenes, sci-fi romance, multi-POV stories, character-driven conflict, or emotional turning points where a character has to become more serious, responsible, or honest with themselves. Watch this episode if you want to learn how to take a scene that already works and make it hit harder.
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The Secret to Making High-Stakes Fantasy Feel Personal [Ep 338 VIDEO]
2w ago01:13:45Tap to summarizeA young hero is about to make a decision that could change everything. But will the reader feel the weight of that choice? In this coaching session, editor Laura Humm works with author Liz Woodwiss on Chapter 21 of Liz's epic fantasy novel. The scene centers on Terry, a 14-year-old reluctant hero who is being pushed toward a terrifyingly grown-up decision: petitioning the King directly during a Day of King's Grace in order to expose the Queen's manipulation. Laura helps Liz strengthen the chapter by bringing the reader deeper into Terry's point of view. Instead of letting the scene become a room full of adults discussing politics, Laura shows how Terry's fear, hope, confusion, and urgency can guide the reader through the complexity of the moment. You'll learn how to open a scene with emotional stakes, how to keep third person close narration anchored in your protagonist, how to remind readers what matters at the start of a chapter, and how to use teenage reactions, whispers, and shared panic to make political fantasy feel immediate and personal. The session also digs into world-building through character-specific imagery, including how Terry's lace-making background can shape the way he sees danger, pressure, and choice. Watch this session if you're writing YA fantasy, political intrigue, a reluctant hero, or any scene where a young character has to stand in a room full of adults and decide who they are going to become.
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The Secret to Making High-Stakes Fantasy Feel Personal [Ep 338 AUDIO ONLY]
2w ago01:13:21Tap to summarizeA young hero is about to make a decision that could change everything. But will the reader feel the weight of that choice? In this coaching session, editor Laura Humm works with author Liz Woodwiss on Chapter 21 of Liz's epic fantasy novel. The scene centers on Terry, a 14-year-old reluctant hero who is being pushed toward a terrifyingly grown-up decision: petitioning the King directly during a Day of King's Grace in order to expose the Queen's manipulation. Laura helps Liz strengthen the chapter by bringing the reader deeper into Terry's point of view. Instead of letting the scene become a room full of adults discussing politics, Laura shows how Terry's fear, hope, confusion, and urgency can guide the reader through the complexity of the moment. You'll learn how to open a scene with emotional stakes, how to keep third person close narration anchored in your protagonist, how to remind readers what matters at the start of a chapter, and how to use teenage reactions, whispers, and shared panic to make political fantasy feel immediate and personal. The session also digs into world-building through character-specific imagery, including how Terry's lace-making background can shape the way he sees danger, pressure, and choice. Watch this session if you're writing YA fantasy, political intrigue, a reluctant hero, or any scene where a young character has to stand in a room full of adults and decide who they are going to become.
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How to Finish a Novel Without Overthinking Every Edit [Ep 337]
3w ago01:17:41Tap to summarizeYou've revised the book. You've worked through the big problems. You can see the finish line. But now every tiny note feels dangerous. Should you fix that sentence? Change that symbol? Rework that scene? Ask for more feedback? Or are you just giving yourself another reason not to finish? In episode 337 of The Dialogue Doctor Podcast, Jeff Elkins works with author Laurel Bollinger on the final revision stage of her children's fantasy novel and helps her sort the edits that matter from the edits that only create noise. You'll learn how to look at your almost-finished manuscript with more confidence, make smart choices about continuity, voice, pacing, character consistency, and story logic, and stop treating every small question like a five-alarm fire. If you're close to finishing your book but keep getting pulled back into one more pass, this episode will help you breathe, focus, and move forward. Because the goal isn't to edit forever. The goal is to finish the book and get it into readers' hands.
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The Secret to Using Dialogue to Build Character Chemistry [Ep 336]
Jul 601:03:08Tap to summarizeWriters want readers to care the first time two important characters meet. But the problem is that first meeting scenes can easily become functional. Characters exchange information, explain the plot, describe the setting, and move the story forward, but the reader does not yet feel the chemistry, tension, suspicion, or possibility between them. In this episode, Jeff Elkins works with author Gladys Strickland on a scene where two main characters, Sarah and Thaddeus, meet in person for the first time. Sarah is an art historian trying to rebuild her academic confidence. Thaddeus is an archaeologist with a damaged reputation and a blunt, guarded personality. They do not fully trust each other yet, but they are being pulled toward a mystery that will force them to work together. Jeff shows how small craft choices can make that first meeting come alive: how a character's home can reveal who they are, how two POVs can interpret the same room differently, how sentence length and word choice separate character voices, and how body language helps readers understand emotional tone. The conversation also digs into how to weave research, history, and worldbuilding into dialogue without dumping information on the reader. Jeff explains why readers need only the details they must remember, why POV characters should not hide their thoughts from us, and how emotional ramps help arguments, trust, and chemistry build at the right pace. Watch this episode if you're writing a first meeting scene, a dual POV scene, a mystery or thriller, an academic adventure, or any story where two characters need to move from suspicion toward partnership.
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What's Working for Indie Authors Right Now? [Write, Wrong, Repeat Ep 3]
Jul 401:15:02Tap to summarizeAuthors want to write great books, launch them well, grow their readership, and make smart business decisions. But the problem is that indie publishing never feels simple. Launches are stressful even after dozens of books. Ads can look profitable one month and shaky the next. TikTok can sell books but demand more visibility than some authors want. NetGalley can bring reviews, but only if the right readers get the book. And while all of that is happening, writers still have to protect their creativity and avoid burning out. In this episode of Write, Wrong, Repeat, Jeff Elkins, Holly Lyne, Tom Holbrook, JP Rindfleisch, and Crys Cain talk honestly about what they're testing in their author businesses right now. They discuss launch-day anxiety, NetGalley lessons, Facebook ads, Amazon freebies, TikTok lives, faceless TikTok accounts, newsletters, reader magnets, preorders, BookVault, direct sales, and using AI tools to organize the chaos. The conversation digs into the real question underneath all the tactics: how do authors build systems that sell books without draining the joy out of writing them? Watch this episode if you're trying to figure out what's worth your time as an indie author, how other writers are experimenting with launches and marketing, and how to keep moving forward when the author business feels messy, uncertain, and very, very real.
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How to Write Group Dialogue Without Losing Your POV [Ep 335]
Jun 2900:51:16Tap to summarizeWriters want group conversations that feel natural, reveal the story world, and move multiple relationships forward at once. But when several characters begin talking, the POV character can quietly disappear. The dialogue may communicate important information, but the reader loses their emotional guide. Tension fades, exposition takes over, and the scene stops feeling like it belongs to the protagonist. In this episode, Jeff Elkins coaches author Dennis Kurlas on a historical-fiction scene set in Athens shortly before the 1967 Greek military coup. After escaping a volatile political demonstration, Leo, Margo, and their companions enter a taverna where political debate, buried memories, romantic tension, and a charismatic resistance fighter begin pulling them apart. Jeff explains how to carry fear from one chapter into the next, keep a silent POV character emotionally present, and use internal thought, body language, and brief dialogue to show how every exchange affects him. They also explore how physical gestures can track the changing state of a relationship, how vivid settings can deepen historical fiction, and how repeated images can escalate a character's fear. As Leo becomes increasingly threatened by Margo's independence and attraction to Alexandros, seemingly small reactions begin foreshadowing the unhealthy partner he may become. Watch this episode if you're writing group dialogue, historical fiction, political conversations, romantic jealousy, or any scene where your protagonist risks becoming a spectator in their own story. For more on the craft of writing, check out DialogueDoctor.com
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How to Write an Opening Readers Can't Put Down [Ep334]
Jun 2200:59:12Tap to summarize*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-6a203e50-1a68-83ea-9e80-00b0dd400c85-1" data-turn-id-container= "request-6a203e50-1a68-83ea-9e80-00b0dd400c85-1" data-testid= "conversation-turn-26" data-turn="assistant"> Writers want opening chapters that showcase their voice, introduce an unforgettable character, and make readers desperate to continue. But a strong voice can become self-indulgent. The narrator may entertain the reader without moving the story forward, explaining too much, repeating the same joke, or delaying the moment when something actually happens. In a writing competition, where judges are actively looking for reasons to stop reading, those extra words can cost you. In this episode, Jeff Elkins coaches author Scott Williamson on the opening of his darkly funny fantasy story about Auntie Pearl, a 300-year-old witch trying to turn a corpse into tea before her aging body falls apart. They explore how to tighten an opening without stripping away its personality, create intimacy between a first-person narrator and the reader, and withhold information to build mystery and narrative promise. Jeff also explains why writers should address one reader at a time, avoid telling readers what they are thinking, and keep present-tense narrators from revealing knowledge they cannot possess. The conversation also examines how vulnerability can make a monstrous character lovable, how a child character can become an engine for change, and how dark humor can keep physical suffering entertaining rather than exhausting. Watch this episode if you're revising an opening chapter, entering a writing competition, developing an intimate first-person voice, or trying to make readers fall in love with a character who does terrible things. www.DialogueDoctor.com
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Why Character Growth Matters More Than Plot: Lessons from A Few Good Men [Ep 333]
Jun 1501:10:28Tap to summarizeWriters want to create stories with unforgettable endings, powerful dialogue, and characters readers genuinely care about. But the problem is that we often spend most of our energy on the external plot: solving the murder, winning the trial, defeating the villain, or uncovering the truth. Those events create pressure, but they are not necessarily what makes the audience feel satisfied when the story ends. In this episode, Jeff Elkins (The Dialogue Doctor) and members of the Dialogue Doctor Community break down the character structure of A Few Good Men to reveal why the movie works. You'll learn how a story's "Vehicle characters" carry the reader's emotional experience, how a character's wound creates immediate hopes and fears, and why the real ending depends on whether the lead character becomes the person the audience hoped they could be. Jeff also examines how supporting characters can raise the pressure by ending tragically, how "Engines" and "Anchors" push a character toward their best or worst self, and why Joanne's storyline feels less satisfying than the arcs around her. Finally, the episode breaks down the pacing behind the iconic "You can't handle the truth" scene, showing how rapid-fire dialogue, strategic silence, emotional pauses, and a prolonged hero moment transform a courtroom exchange into an unforgettable climax. Watch this episode if you want to build stronger character arcs, create a cast that actively shapes your protagonist, write more emotionally satisfying endings, or understand why some famous scenes stay with audiences for decades. For more on the craft of writing, go to DialogueDoctor.com
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Stop Letting Characters Argue in Circles [Ep 332]
Jun 801:10:17Tap to summarizeWriters want sharp dialogue, compelling conflict, and characters with enough tension to keep readers turning pages. But the problem is that conflict can easily get stuck. Characters snipe at each other, trade sarcasm, or argue at the same emotional level for too long. The scene has energy, but it does not move. The relationship does not shift. The reader starts to feel like the conversation is circling instead of building. In this episode, Laura Humm coaches Tony Maxwell on how to make character conflict escalate, de-escalate, and actually change the relationship between characters. They discuss how to balance prose and dialogue, how to use the "zipper" technique to check the rhythm of a conversation, and how to move an enemies-to-allies dynamic from hostility into vulnerability. They also dig into how to write an arrogant protagonist without making readers hate him, how to give both characters expertise and agency, and how to use specialized knowledge—like veterinary medicine—without turning the scene into an info dump. You'll learn how to make dialogue feel like a tennis match, how to hide exposition inside conflict, how to use vulnerability to shift a relationship, and how to make every joke, barb, and emotional landing serve the scene. Watch this episode if your characters have great banter but the scene still feels flat, if your exposition keeps slowing the story down, or if you're trying to write conflict that actually changes something. For more on writing dialogue, come to DialogueDoctor.com. For the Fiction Makers Conference, come to FictionMakers.Live
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