Dialogue: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Effective Dialogue

Write Great Fiction

by Gloria Kempton

Craft Compelling Dialogue

When should your character talk, what should (or shouldn't) he say, and when should he say it? How do you know when dialogue—or the lack thereof—is dragging down your scene? How do you fix character who speaks with the laconic wit of the Terminator?

Write Great Fiction: Dialogue by successful author and instructor Gloria Kempton has the answers to all of these questions and more! It's packed with innovative exercises and instructions designed to teach you how to:

•Create dialogue that drives the story
•Weave dialogue with narrative and action
•Use dialogue to pace your story
•Write dialogue that fits specific genres
•Avoid the common pitfalls of writing dialogue
•Make dialogue unique for each character

Along with dozens of dialogue excerpts form today's most popular writers, Write Great Fiction: Dialogue gives you the edge you need to make your story stand out from the rest.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Crafts, How To, Academic, Adult

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[sadra jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

وقتی دیدم چهارصد صفحه فقط برای گفت و گو نویسی با خودم گفتم یا با مسائل بی ربط کتابو پر کرده یا تکرار مکررات
اما وقتی خوندمش واقعا پر از نکات آموزنده و جذاب و جدید بود.
فهمیدم کتاب هر چی تخصصی تر بهتر اما به شرطی که نویسنده اش اینکاره باشه.
راستش فکر نمیکردم گفت و گو نویسی هم اینهمه نکته داشته باشه و اینهمه ظرافت
با اینکه تو نویسندگی کتاب کم نخوندم.
اما فهمیدم قبلش تقریبا هیچ چیزی جز اسپیس زدن رو تو گفت و گو نویسی بلد نبودم اما حالا زمین تا آسمون فرق کرد.
خلاصه که عالیه

[Gypsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

خب این کتاب رفرنس حساب می‌شه اما نمدونم برا چه مقطعی و چه کسایی. اما می‌دونم ساده‌ست و برا یه درک کلی دربارۀ گفت‌وگونویسی مفیده. فصل‌بندیش رو دوست داشتم و خیلی نکات به‌دردبخوری داشت. از جمله کتاب‌هاییه که هرکس می‌خواد جدی بنویسه باید بخونه به‌نظرم. هرچند بعضی نکاتی که گفته بود خیلی ابتدایی بود! به‌خصوص اوایل کتاب. هرچی به آخر نزدیک می‌شدیم نکاتش هم پیشرفته‌تر می‌شد. یکسری صفحاتش رو پشت سر هم عکس گرفتم که داشته باشم. نمره دادن بهش سخته چون نمدونم رفرنس برا چه کسایی حساب می‌شه. یه چیزهاییش ابتدایی بود و یه چیزهاییش هم باید به‌خاطر سپرد و خیلی زیرکانه بود. می‌تونم سه بدم ولی اگه به تمرین‌های آخر هر فصل توجه کنیم چار هم براش مناسبه.

[محمد فرد · Rating 5 out of 5]

خب تموم شد و باید بگم برای من خیلی مفید بود.

طبعا کتابیه در مورد نوشتن گفت و گو در داستان.
کتاب سیر درستی داره. یعنی از مسائل ساده شروع می‌کنه و آروم آروم آموزه‌های تخصصی تری رو ارائه می ده.
شخصا به همه ی دوستانی که می خوان داستان بهتری بنویسن توصیه می کنم که کتاب رو از دست ندن.
کتاب در دو سطح به کار نویسنده میاد. اول اینکه بخشی از توضیحاتش و تمرین هایی که توی کتاب می ده برمی گرده به اینکه همین حالا که داریم داستان می نویسیم چی کار کنیم.
بخش دوم به بعد از تمام شدن نسخه ی اول داستان می پردازه. اینکه عیب یابی کنیم داستانمون رو. و البته اصلاحش کنیم.

موضوع بعدی در مورد این کتاب، اینه که تمرین هاش رو جدی بگیریم. من خودم از هر سری شاید فقط دو تمرین انجام دادم اما حتی توی ذهن حل کردنشون هم کمک زیادی به نویسنده می کنه. خلاصه اینکه مثل من تنبل نباشید :)
یه نکته ی دیگه در مورد تمرین ها که البته به شخصیت خود من شاید برمی گرده. و اونم اینه که سعی کنید فاصله ی زیادی بین تمام شدن فصل و حل تمارینش نندازید. من یه بار انداختم و در نتیجه مدت ها سمت کتاب نرفتم.

یا علی.

[Zahra saeedzade · Rating 5 out of 5]

بهترين كتابي بود كه ميشه فعلا براي ديالوگ نويسي پيدا كرد. كتابي نيست كه يك بار خواندنش كفايت كند. حتما بايد دوباره خواند و تمرين ها را دانه به دانه انجام داد. پر از راهكار و راه حل هاي عالي براي حل مشكلات و دوري از ترس نوشتن.

[ELNAZIOR ( Realm.Of.Ella) · Rating 5 out of 5]

پر از توصیه هایی که موقع نوشتن رمان خودم یا خوندن رمان‌های بقیه از نظر فن نویسندگی نیاز داشتم که بهم گوشزد کنن
به نظرم واقعا عالی بود و برای همین یه تگ جدید تو گودریدز براش ساختم تا همیشه لیست این مجموعه‌ی نویسندگی جلو چشمم باشه و برم سراغ همه‌شون🤌🏻

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every time I read one of these Writer's Digest technique books, I find a passage that really sticks in my craw. Here, it's

"Do you remember those novels teachers made us read in high school?

Great Expectations. Madame Bovary. Lord of the Flies. Page after page of blocks of text. Long passages of boring narrative."

I'm sorry. Your name is...Gloria Kempton? Not Flaubert? And you've written...?

If your plan is to write for an audience of philistines, why not just write for prime time television?

[Kimberly [Come Hither Books] · Rating 2 out of 5]

The least useful volume of a useful series. If you have serious problems with dialogue, then this book will give you micro lessons to help. Techniques are clear and precise, if a bit condescending. But most of the information is basic enough to be presented in other books more effectively. The scarcity of advanced techniques makes this book irritating unless dialogue is one of your weaknesses, as it feels more like remedial lessons than skill development. Recommended for writers who struggle with dialogue, but otherwise I say skip it. There's little presented here that isn't covered elsewhere to better effect, including in the other volumes of the Write Great Fiction series.

[Daughter of Paper and Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yikes.

Or better:

“Yikes,” she grimaced.

Or

“Yikes.” She said, downing her cool cola.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 4-8, 2015
It is interesting how much goes into dialogue. And I think that it 's also good for character building.

August 14-18, 2013
If you're like me, and you're reading through all of the Write Great Fiction series, I strongly urge you to finish with this book. I loved the other books, but felt like I had to get the lessons down in a snap. But, then I read this book and Kempton says 'don't worry about this now, just write and fix it during the second draft.' She tells you to absorb the lessons and apply them to your work, but don't worry about getting it right on the first go through.

I absolutely loved it. I haven't exactly worried so much about my dialogue (though there is that pesky fear of my characters sounding alike), but this book has given me so much to think about. I've always loved dialogue, but she definitely helps me see how dialogue could be better. I'm already thinking about scenes in my current novel that could use some TLC in dialogue during the second draft. :)

[Greg Scowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't go as far as some of the reviews here and say this book was a waste of money. Indeed, as a primer into the writing of dialogue, this was perfect for me.

That doesn't mean I didn't go out and search for more guides on the topic to further the basic knowledge that I got within. But it was a good warm up and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a light starter for a part of the craft that challenges many writers.

[Tori Veltkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 13 is what I was really looking for when getting this book. A lot more in depth, this is how you do it, but that's probably because of my great inexperience. I still enjoyed much of what the book had to offer and used a solid amount of highlighters and tags to mark what I want to come back when editing.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like Gloria Kempton was coaching me while I write my novel. If there is one thing I took away from this book is learning to create three-dimension characters by weaving in narrative, dialogue, and action. I recommend this book for aspiring authors.

[Grady Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. Lots of very very practical tips in here as well as a lot of ideas to get you thinking.

[Roger Hyttinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been slowly working my way through the Write Great Fiction series and up until now, my favorites have been Revision & Self-Editing and Plot & Structure, both of which are written by James Bell. After reading Dialog: Techniques and exercises for crafting effective dialog, I now add this book to my favorites list as well.

For many writers, writing dialog is one of the more difficult aspects of the craft and certainly can be tricky. If you are struggling with dialog or wish to add a little extra polish to it, you’ll find this handy guide an invaluable tool.

The material is presented in a fun, witty and informal matter which makes it especially approachable and does an excellent job at illustrating the mechanical aspects of writing conversation between characters Using passages from well-known novels such as Harry Potter and Moby Dick, the author provides concise examples of the “Do’s”and “Don’t” of writing dialog. The book is not just filled with tips and tricks, but additionally delves into specific details of dialog and dialog structure using specific passages as examples.

The book is broken down into the following Chapters:

Chapter 1: Releasing the Voice Within—The Purpose of Dialog
Chapter 2: Mute Characters and Stories—Abolishing Your Fears
Chapter 3: The Genre, Mainstream, and Literary Story—The Dialog Matters
Chapter 4: Wheels of Motion—Dialog That Propels the Story Forward
Chapter 5: Narrative, Dialog, and Action—Learning to Weave the Spoken Word
Chapter 6: In Their Own Words—Delivering the Characters and Their Motivations to the Reader
Chapter 7: There Is a Place—Using Dialog to Reveal Story Setting and Background
Chapter 8: Breaks or Accelerator—Dialog as a Means of Pacing
Chapter 9: Tightening the Tension and Suspense—Dialog That Intensifies the Conflict
Chapter 10: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night—Using Dialog to Set the Mood and Facilitate the Emotion
Chapter 11: The Uhs, Ands, and Ers—Some How-Tos of Dialog Quirks
Chapter 12: Whoops! Dialog That Doesn’t Deliver—The Most Common Mistakes
Chapter 13: Punctuation and Last Minute Considerations—Tying Up the Loose Ends
Chapter 14: Dialog Dos and Don’ts—Some Practical Tips
Chapter 15: Connecting With Readers—You Can Make a Difference
Appendix: Checklist

As you can see from the chapter breakdown above, this comprehensive guide provides a wealth of information that can help you to bring your characters to life and move your dialog writing to the next level. I’ve not seen a better book devoted to the study of dialog than this one and found it not only helpful, thought-provoking and enlightening, but also essential. This in-depth book has found welcome place on my literary bookshelf. Recommended!

This review originally appeared on my blog at rogerhyttinen.com

[Aaron Bolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria Kempton delivers a book about techniques and exercise for crafting effective dialogue; she does exactly what she promises in the title. I liked the book as it was well-written and included well-thought-out material on ways to improve dialogue.

In terms of criticism, a couple of items come to mind.
First, the author reminds us repeatedly that she is a writing coach and dialogue comes easy for her. Once is okay to establish credibility. By the fifth time, it was irritating.
Second, the book is clearly written with the textbook market in mind. That's okay, but the textbook feel made it seem less professional to read -- like taking a class at the community center.
Third, the "what to do" was emphasized over the "how to do it." That is, this is designed as a textbook to be read under instruction not as a how-to self-paced manual.

Overall, I thought Kempton did a nice job with this book. It won't be for everyone, but I personally found several worthwhile bits of advice that I will incorporate into future projects. If I were teaching a creative writing class, I would definitely consider this item as a supplementary textbook.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good points, but the book could have been half as long.

My first problem is that many of the example passages from various novels fell flat for me. Either they were too short, or the characters weren't sufficiently introduced, or both. Very rarely did I see the tension/emotion/technique Gloria Kempton was trying to emphasize.

Second problem. This is a book on dialogue, so obviously the author is going to have a lot to say about dialogue. But I sort of got the feeling she was saying dialogue is THE important thing and THE way to show character.

She also lists weird categories for types of story/dialogue (magical, cryptic, descriptive, etc.) and types of speakers (twisted tongue, rocket, turtle, ace, apologizer, etc.) In the latter list, she makes up pretty implausible examples (that would actually be really irritating in a novel).

[Riya ❤️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another super generic guide. Lol. It wasn't helpful at all. Micro-advice could help beginners but that's it. Very generic. Some blogs and youtube videos offer better and more rounded advice.

[C.L. Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good tips that could have been expressed in half the pages. It's not great, by any means, but I do like that there are writing exercises at the end of each chapter to help with specific dialogue issues. There is a lot of redundancy in the book.

If you are writing anything and wish to improve your dialogue skills, I recommend "How to Write Dazzling Dialogue" by James Scott Bell. I found that book immeasurably helpful.

[Mehdi STR · Rating 5 out of 5]

برعکس کتاب "صحنه پردازی در رمان" که خیلی نتونست نظرمو جلب کنه، این کتاب واقعا خوب بود و کلی نکته‌ی مفید داخل خودش داره که ممکنه بعضی از اونارو ندونید و بعضی‌ها رو هم بدونید ولی مرور بشه یا با دقت بیشتری بهش نگاه کنید.

نویسنده کتاب (گلوریا کمپتون) خیلی صادقانه تجارب خودشو همراه با یک سری اصول و قوائد مورد نیاز توی این کتاب اورده و حتی توی بحث شخصیت پردازی هم اطلاعات خوب و مکملی رو کنارش میخونید.

[Sara Turnquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great craft book. Very thorough explanation about Dialogue, the importance of it, and how it can and needs to be interwoven with narrative and action. It speaks to a variety of levels of writers/authors and there is something there for everyone.

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 2 out of 5]

90% of banal and stereotypical observations, 10% of useful practical advice. It was especially disappointing after an excellent book about plot and structure in the same series.

[Raelee Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great tips, but quite a bit of redundancy.

[Shannon Kostyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have read through a couple of times. Useful information here, although I still struggle with dialogue. It's not the book's fault though - it's a weakness on my part. Couldn't say if it's best for beginners, experts, or something in between because I think it really does make a difference where the writer's natural inclinations are, starting.
I suspect if I continually worked through the exercises, I'd improve more (but that could be said about nearly any trade). Have found similar information on writing blogs, just presented in a different format. That said, I'm keeping this copy in my library. When I go into writing mode I prefer the option of cutting access to the internet for minimized distractions, so on-hand reference books become all the more useful in those scenarios.

[the judgy reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

One reason to read Dialogue: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Effective Dialogue:

1) Gloria Kempton is enthusiastic about dialogue and seems to genuinely want to help.

Three drawbacks to Dialogue: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Effective Dialogue:

1) This book takes 240 pages to say exactly what other craft books manage to fit into a single chapter. I didn't learn anything new.

2) The forced heteronormativity annoyed me. "Sometimes jumping to sex between a man and woman is to actually short circuit the feeling of love." Why not leave it at sex, why mention gender? She does this a lot.

3) She frames a lot of her opinions as facts, which wouldn't be so bad if she weren't so often wrong.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less useful overall in my own application of writing dialog, and less insightful than previous works in this series. However, the methodologies described in this text may be helpful to some and several sections contained approaches I agreed with, particularly the Do's/Don'ts near the end, as well as the writer's responsibilities to the reader (Chapter 15: Connecting with the Reader). Perhaps a better book for someone looking for methods and exercises for beginners rather than advanced students.

[Michelle Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book greatly. The exercises were extremely helpful and ones that I will go back to frequently. There were many ah-ha moments and learnings that will help me drastically improve my writing.

I took away one star as I wasn’t a huge fan of how she presented some of the content. I felt it could have been done differently without criticizing former students or people in her life to get her point across.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is rather helpful when it comes to advice about dialogue. I've picked up a lot of the stuff it mentions from just being an avid reader and from critiquing other people's writing. However, I learned a few things, and it was great seeing stuff I already knew (sometimes unconsciously) written out on the page.

[Hadi Ahmadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب، کتاب خوبی برای آنهایی است که می خواهند گفت و گو های بهتری برای داستان های خود بنویسند و این کتاب می تواند مثال هایی برای شما بیاورد که چگونه و کجا و با چه میزانی از گفت وگو در داستان بهره ببرید.
اگر دوست داشتید می توانید این کتاب را از نرم افزار طاقچه دریافت کنید.
https://taaghche.com/book/25128

[Malaika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super effective guide with thoughtful, relevant exercises. As a writer, I’ve struggled to break dialogue down to its essence and this book helped me do that. I’d highly recommend it. It was especially helpful when partnered with the safe space of my writing critique group. A helpful resource that I’ll likely reference again and again as I continue to grow as in my craft.

[L.A. Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the introduction and I was done. Basically, if you can hear the voices in your head, you can write dialogue. Since that's how I write, I assumed I didn't need this book. But I skimmed through it and it's very good for those who don't hear the voices.