The Dialogue Doctor Podcast

Jeff Elkins
  • 4.9 (18)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 1d ago ·  Video

    How to Finish a Novel Without Overthinking Every Edit [Ep 337]

    You'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.

  2. Jul 6 ·  Video

    The Secret to Using Dialogue to Build Character Chemistry [Ep 336]

    Writers 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.

  3. Jul 4 ·  Video

    What's Working for Indie Authors Right Now? [Write, Wrong, Repeat Ep 3]

    Authors 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.

  4. Jun 29 ·  Video

    How to Write Group Dialogue Without Losing Your POV [Ep 335]

    Writers 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

  5. Jun 22 ·  Video

    How to Write an Opening Readers Can't Put Down [Ep334]

    *]: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

  6. Jun 15 ·  Video

    Why Character Growth Matters More Than Plot: Lessons from A Few Good Men [Ep 333]

    Writers 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

  7. Jun 8 ·  Video

    Stop Letting Characters Argue in Circles [Ep 332]

    Writers 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

  8. Jun 5 ·  Video

    How Authors Are Actually Using AI, Ads, and TikTok Right Now - Write, Wrong, Repeat Episode 2

    Writers want to spend more time writing books and less time drowning in admin, ads, social media, and publishing decisions. But the problem is that the author business is messy. Ads may or may not be working. TikTok can feel confusing. Pen names complicate branding. AI tools raise questions about ethics, workflow, and usefulness. And while all of that is happening, the book still has to get written. In this episode of "Write, Wrong, Repeat" Jeff Elkins, JP Rindfleisch IX, Cry Cain, Tom Holbrook, and Holly Lyne talk through what they're testing in their author businesses right now. They discuss Facebook ads, Amazon ads, freebies, TikTok strategy, faceless accounts, pen names, genre-specific branding, and how AI tools like Codex can help organize admin, social content, spreadsheets, and marketing tasks. The conversation also digs into the real writer-life problem underneath all the tools: how do you protect your creative focus while still doing the business work required to publish? Holly shares how she wrote 100,000 words in a month, how she uses AI as a kind of business operations manager, and how clearing admin clutter helped her stay focused on the manuscript. Watch this episode if you're an indie author trying to figure out what's actually worth your time, what systems might help you keep writing, and how other writers are experimenting their way forward one month at a time.

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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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