Write Great Fiction - Dialogue

BUY FROM AMAZON.COM
Price: $11.55

Usually ships in 24 hours

By: Gloria Kempton
(25 customer reviews)
RRP: $16.99
Buy New: $11.55
You Save: $5.44 (32%)


Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

EDITORIAL REVIEW

How do some writers craft conversation so authentic, it feels like they've been eavesdropping? What's the secret behind getting characters to talk to each other? How can writers make their dialogue sing?

Answers to all of these questions and more can be found in Gloria Kempton's in-depth look at this crucial component of fiction. Readers will learn how to create dialogue that sizzles, with tips on:

* Creating dialogue for specific genres

* Bringing characters to life with revealing dialogue

* Identifying and fixing common dialogue problems

Each chapter features numerous examples of successful dialogue drawn from bestselling novels, and chapter-ending exercises help readers apply the lessons learned. This is one book that will get readers talking!

PRODUCT DETAILS

Publisher: Writers Digest Books
Pub. Date: 26th October 2004
Catalog: Book
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 240
Ean: 9781582972893
Isbn: 1582972893
Upc: 035313109362

ABOUT THIS BOOK

USER REVIEWS

Stay on subject. Please
~ Written on Sep 26, 2009. 1 out of 1 users found this review helpful.

I have found this book to be very disappointing so far. One thing I notice right off is that the author does not stay on subject while she is writing that a writer needs to stay on subject in dialogue. After three chapters I do not want to go on. Please do not let this one though keep one from others of this series as I have found this one to be the first big loser. Not only does the author here not stay on topic, but what is presented on dialogue is weak, things I already knew from observing just from being a reader. There are pointers about various writing categories like using mysterious and dark words in dialogue when writing a spooky novel. Wow! Really!
I am already skipping through sections as much as ten pages. The first three chapters need to be dropped or condensed into a paragraph or two. I do not need to be told what mystery or sci fi genre are and to use a different dialogue for each. I do not need a list of what people fear they will do wrong and then a couple of sentences of suggestions such as rewriting it if that happens. I do not care if she had a student in class that was afraid of dialogue. See, this is all off topic. The subject matter is dialogue not students' fears of it.
For a writer to not be able to stay on topic is rather bad, but for the editors and publisher to not see this- just really bad.
Thank you and hope it was helpful.

Cause versus effect
~ Written on Mar 27, 2009. 8 out of 9 users found this review helpful.

No teacher can please everyone. There are published writers who make lousy teachers, and great writing teachers who never publish. One of Hemingway's teachers was among the latter. This author falls among the former. Not surprisingly, I found her teaching style on par with her book which I read cover to cover before participating in one of her on-line classes. Both go on at length about effects of good dialog. Never once did either show HOW to cause such dialog yourself. The book catalogs the various styles of dialog, which is fine if you're writing a reference book but not if you wish to learn the craft. Think of it this way: It's like going to an art appreciation event where they rhapsodize about the effects of an art, yet afterward you still don't know how to paint, dance, sculpt or play that musical instrument. That's the distinction between actual craft and mere theory; cause and effect. Or, try this: If your car needs repair what would probably serve you better, a theoretical workshop on the functionings of the internal combustion engine, or, a visit to the mechanic? And so, if you merely want a discussion concerning the various styles of dialog then get this book and/or a degree in English literature. That way you can discuss good authors but never be one yourself, and perhaps even write one of those deadly-dull dry English essay papers about it and present it to the class. WOO! HOO! What a dreary prospect. LIke I said, no teacher can please everyone, and even this author may help some people who are advanced enough not to get sidetracked by her more artst-farsty quasi mystical digressions like enneagrams, for example. However, for most I suspect that "Immediate Fiction" by Jerry Cleaver would be a vastly better resource.

Devil in the detail
~ Written on Feb 26, 2009. 1 out of 1 users found this review helpful.

This is a book which takes you into the nitty gritty of writing dialogue. Not only does the author show you what works, she also gives examples of what doesn't work, allowing the reader to hear how dialogue should sound. Wonderful! And it's not just tips on dialogue you'll pick up. This book is packed full of references to setting and character. Despite a misprint in the first chapter, I found this book excellent.

Dialogue
~ Written on Jan 28, 2009. 1 out of 1 users found this review helpful.

I was apprehensive about buying this book because dialogue is one of my stronger points in writing. However, after reading several chapters I feel like Gloria Kempton is going to teach me a thing or two more about good character dialogue with in my stories.

Good book
~ Written on Jan 8, 2009. out of users found this review helpful.

I'm happy with the content...

Learned lots of new and interesting stuff..

MJL

SIMILAR ITEMS:

Search:
International
UK US
Browse Categories