OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennWhen I started writing fiction, I found dialogue to be one of the hardest things to write. It's rarely used outside of a fiction context, and I spent a lot of time learning all about it. I still do! Today I'm thrilled to be discussing how to improve dialogue with James Scott Bell.
This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors.
James Scott Bell is the best-selling and award-winning author of thriller novels, zombie legals, historical romance, and lots and lots of books on the craft of writing. He’s a professional speaker, teaching novel-writing and other skills for writers, and his latest book is “How to Write Dazzling Dialogue.”
You can watch the interview on YouTube here, listen above or on the podcast feed on iTunes or Stitcher, or read the transcription below. We discuss:
* Why is dialogue so important anyway? Can’t we just write lots of paragraphs with no one talking to each other?
* Overuse of names and differentiating voices
* How to learn about dialogue by listening and other techniques
* Beware of stereotypes in characters
* Weaving action into dialogue
* Bad language and guidelines for swear words
* Subtext
* Humor in dialogue
* Punctuation
* On James' fiction – he writes across multiple genres
You can find James and his books at JamesScottBell.com and on twitter @jamesscottbell.
Transcription of interview with James Scott Bell
Joanna: Hi, everyone, I’m Joanna Penn from TheCreativePenn.com, and today I’m here with James Scott Bell! Hi, James!
James: How are you?
Joanna: I’m good, it’s great to have you back on the show. Just as a little introduction, James is the best-selling and award-winning author of thriller novels, zombie legals, historical romance, and lots and lots of books on the craft of writing. He’s a professional speaker, teaching novel-writing and other skills for writers, and his latest book is “