Podcast

Welcome to the Dialogue Doctor Podcast.

Below you will find links to each episode and videos that complement the episode.

EPISODE LIST

Episode 178 – Sacha Black the Rebel Author – Jeff interviews the amazing Sacha Black

Episode 177 – Time with Tom – Jeff hangs out with the amazing editor, Tom Holbrook

Episode 176 – Writing Beautiful Dialogue with Carol Painter – Jeff and Carol dig into a piece Carol wrote and talk about creating emotional scenes.

Episode 175 – Four Tips for Writing Great Scenes – Jeff goes solo and talks about tricks that will help you write great scenes faster.

Episode 174 – Laura Humm, Dennis Kurlas, and Emotional Intensity – Laura and Dennis talk about creating strong emotional moments.

Episode 173 – Faye Whyte and Building a Plot from Characters – Jeff and Faye build a plot by looking at Faye’s cast.

Episode 172 – Amy Suthon and Building a Cast for Plot – Jeff and Amy talk about building a cast that empowers a plot.

Episode 171 – Jeff Elkins, Pa Theriot, and Unique Stories – Jeff and Pa talk about stories that don’t fit the mold.

Episode 170 – JP Rindfleisch and Emma Jane Heaton and the Story Hypothesis – JP talks character growth and changing needs.

Episode 169 – Liz Hurley and Fixing Plot with Characters – Jeff and Liz develop a plot as they build character voices together.

Episode 168 – Gladys Strickland and Building Character Voices – Jeff and Gladys build a cast of voices together.

Episode 167 – Laura Humm and Eric Heuser and Finding Child Voices – Laura and Eric talk about writing children’s voices in adult novels.

Episode 166 – Ian Worrall and Writing a Screenplay Ready Draft – Jeff and Ian talk about structuring his draft to make editing faster.

Episode 165 – Becca Syme and Moving Into the Future with Strength – Jeff and Becca talk strengths and publishing.

Episode 164 – JP Rindfleisch IX and Angela Haas and Kicking Off a Detective – JP and Angela look at the first chapter of Angela’s new detective series.

Episode 163 – Holly Lyne and Aligning a Character’s Voice with Growth – Jeff and Holly look at a piece together and talk about seeing characters on the page.

Episode 162 – Laura Humm with Barbara Clark and First Chapter Needs – Laura and Barbara look at Baraba’s first chapter and talk about how to make it stand out.

Episode 161 – Time with Tom – Mixing Genres and Other Things – Jeff and Tom talk about a mix of topics including mixing genres in a story.

Episode 160 – JP Rindfleisch the IX and Hollie Smurthwaite Build a Plot – JP and Hollie use character growth to help build her plot.

Episode 159 – AI Assisted Building a Plot with Character with Deb Jensen – Jeff and Deb talk about building a plot with characters.

Episode 158 – Joints with JP The Story Hypothesis – Jeff and JP break down this system and talk about how it empowers plotting.

Episode 157 – Laura Humm and Vivian Figueredo and Outline a Story – Laura and Vivian work together to outline a story together.

Episode 156 – Laura Humm and John Krause and Writing Children’s Voice – Laura coaches John in building a cast of children.

Episode 155 – An Interview with TJ Klune – Jeff sits down with the great TJ Klune to talk writing.

Episode 154 – Using Your Gut to Build Your Plot with Carmen Catena Lewis – Jeff and Carmen take a plot from feelings to beats.

Episode 153 – Jeff and Laura Q&A

Episode 152 – Understanding Emotional Arcs with Lauran Humm and CC Hanson – talking about emotional moments and teenage voices

Episode 151 – Building Character Voices with Slyvie Kurtz – Jeff and Slyvie talk through voices in her cast.

Episode 150 – After 30 Years of Publishing – An Interview with Mark Leslie Lefebvre – Jeff talks to publishing giant, Mark Leslie Lefebvre.

Episode 149 – Pa Theriot and Building Romance – Jeff and Pa use an Inside Outline to analyze their plot and talk about character growth.

Episode 148 – Time with Tom – Jeff and Tom talk about TJ Klune’s life with Puppets and other craft related things.

Episode 147 – Carol Lynn Francis and Getting Perspective – Jeff and Carol talk about using your vehicle character.

Episode 146 – Being an Author in Times of Change with JP Rindfleisch IX – Jeff and JP talk about AI and how they are trying to get their work seen in changing markets.

Episode 145 – Emma Jane Heaton and Building Openings – Jeff and Emma talk about building the opening for your story that you want.

Episode 144 – Laura Humm, Gemma Clatworthy, and Building Impactful Scenes – Zooming into important emotional scenes.

Episode 143 – The Nerdy Novelist Talks Writing with ChatGPT – Jeff and Jason Hamilton talk about writing with AI.

Episode 142 – Making Difficult Characters Likable with Madeline Davis – Jeff and Madeline talk about improving her main character.

Episode 141 – The Life of a Working Author with SW Millar – Jeff and Shane talk about writing, imposter syndrome, and community.

Episode 140 – Story Plotting with Joy Strouse – Jeff and Joy build a plot together.

Episode 139 – The Future of Publishing is Now! with J Thorn – Jeff and J talk about AI and writing.

Episode 138 – Eric Heuser and Varying Pace – Jeff and Eric talk about writing with rabbit speed in your dialogue.

Episode 137 – Greta Boris and Megan Haskell from the Author Wheel – Jeff, Greta, and Megan talk about overcoming obstacles and publishing your work.

Episode 136 – Jeff and Laura Q&A – Jeff and Laura answer 17 questions for the community about writing.

Episode 135 – Building Emotional Scenes with Raina Ash – How to create emotions in a scene.

Episode 134 – Time with Tom – Character growth in Back to the Future and the publishing journey.

Episode 133 – Dialogue in Action Scenes with Madeline Davis – Jeff and Madeline work on improving dialogue in an action scene and other character moments.

Episode 132 – Big Cast Scenes and Providing Insight with Faye Whyte – Jeff and Faye talk about keeping all the characters engaged in a big scene.

Episode 131 – Editors Talk Global Conflict, Choice, and Consequences – Jeff and three editors talk about fixing your plot.

Episode 130 – Building Character Voices with Lynn Wham – Jeff and Lynn talk about how to develop a cast of voices.

Episode 129 – Deep Dive on When Harry Met Sally – Jeff and the Dialoggers examine the writing behind the fantastic movie.

Episode 128 – Monica Cooke and Pacing for Emotion – Jeff and Monica look at voice and pacing.

Episode 127 – Zooming In and out with Laura Humm – Laura talks about writing emotions in a scene.

Episode 126 – Book Club – Little Thieves – Jeff and the Dialoggers look at the book by Margaret Owen.

Episode 125 – Big Cast Scenes with Tom Holbrook – Jeff and Tom look at character voices in a big cast scene.

Episode 124 – Looking to the New Year – Jeff hangs out with 7 amazing authors to talk about the new year.

Episode 123 – Maggie Menane and 1st Person POV – Conversations around reader magnets and first person POV.

Episode 122 – Special Addition of the Author Life – Jeff and J Thorn talk about launching the Dialogue Doctor

Episode 121 – Carol Painter and Finding Your Character’s Climax – Jeff and Carol Painter talk through the ending of her character arcs.

Episode 120 – Jeff and Laura Q&A – Jeff and Laura answer questions on writing and editing.

Episode 119 – V.E. Griffith Returns – Jeff and V.E. talk about giving the reader all the details they need and more.

Episode 118 – Using Dialogue to Create Character Growth – Jeff talks about what character growth is and dialogue tools to show it.

Episode 117 – Dennis Kurlass and Creating an Emotional Journey – Tips on moving your reader through the scene.

Episode 116 – Halloween Special with JP Rindfleisch – Halloween memories and writing horror/comedy.

Episode 115 – Three Story Method Editors on Theme – 6 editors discuss how to write theme.

Episode 114 – A Deep Dive with Laura Humm and Judy Boxer – Laura and Judy talk about the story structure and then look at a scene together.

Episode 113 -Eric Heuser and Writing the Climax of Your Book – Jeff and Eric talk through the climatic scene and discuss what need to go in it and what should be cut.

Episode 112 – Cassie Newell and Shane Millar and Finding Your Why – Conversations about productivity and continuing through resistance by understanding yourself.

Episode 111 – Carol Painter and Writing for Emotional Growth – Jeff and Carol work through a story and talk about structuring a scene.

Episode 110 – David Hayward and Creating Out of Your Authentic Self – talking about being an artist, facing critics, and so much more.

Episode 109 – Carmen Dillion and World Building with Dialogue – Jeff and Carmen look at a piece together and dig into structuring dialogue.

Episode 108 – Grand Rounds with J Thorn – publishing, starting new things, and building community.

Episode 107 – Charmyra Fleming and Zooming In – Jeff and Charmyra look at using dialogue for world-building.

Episode 106 – Framing a Story with Matty Dalrymple – Jeff and Matty discuss different ways to frame a story

Episode 105 – Laura Humm and Alicia McCalla Talk Editing – Laura walks Alicia through her editing process.

Episode 104 – Learning from She Who Became the Sun – The Dialogger Book Club talks about the Shelley Parker-Chan novel.

Episode 103 – Roland Denzel and Using Dialogue in a Scene – Jeff and Roland go deep into focusing on dialogue in a scene.

Episode 102 – Jeff and Laura Q&A – Jeff and Laura field questions from the Dialoggers

Episode 101 – Dillon Mesquitta and Removing Reader Burden – Jeff and Dillon talk about making it easy on the reader so your dialogue can shine.

Episode 100 – Claire Taylor and Enneagram for Writers – Jeff sits down with Claire Taylor to talk about using the enneagram as an author

Episode 99 – V.E. Griffith and the Details in the Dialogue – Jeff and Aaron get into the nitty-gritty of the dialogue on the page.

Episode 98 – Three Story Method Editors Talk World-Building – Jeff and 3 editors discuss the ins and outs of world-building.

Episode 97 – Cast Building with SW Millar – Jeff and Shane work through a cast together.

Episode 96 – Grand Rounds with Sean Paul Murphy – Jeff sits down with film producer and author Sean Paul Murphy.

Episode 95 – Maggie Menane and Emotional Transitions – Jeff and Maggie talk about writing a sequel, emotional transitions, and all kinds of other things.

Episode 94 – 7 Laws of Emotional Story Telling – Using physics as inspiration, Jeff breaks down how and why to think of writing as an emotional journey.

Episode 93 – Laura Humm and Susan Campbell Getting Details in the Dialogue – Laura and Susan talk about moving details from the prose to the dialogue.

Episode 92 – Emotional Tone with Miss Catherine Hernandez – Jeff and Three Story Method Editor Miss Catherine give tips and tricks about emotional tone.

Episode 91 – Eric Heuser Returns – Jeff and Eric talk about action scenes.

Episode 90 – Jeff and Laura Q&A – Jeff and Laura answer questions concerning character voice.

Episode 89 – Lisa Young Returns – Lisa Young and Laura Humm talk about pacing a scene.

Episode 88 – SW Milar Returns – Shane Milar returns to talk about lone wolves and dialogue with inanimate objects.

Episode 87 – Jeff Answers Questions – Jeff talks about redeeming unlikable characters and how to use inner thoughts.

Episode 86 – Angela Haas and Inner Thoughts – Jeff and Angela talk about character voices and inner thoughts.

Episode 85 – The Network Effect by Martha Wells – the Dialogger Book Club looks at an amazing narrator.

Episode 84 – Laura Humm and Faye Whyte – Engaging readers by improving character voices.

Episode 83 – Understanding a Character’s Wants and Needs – Jeff is joined by Three Story Method Editors to talk about writing a character’s wants and needs.

Episode 82 – Jeff and Eric Heuser Setting a Scene – Jeff and Eric talk scene building and developing an emotional flow.

Episode 81 – Laura Humm and Jon Howard on Keeping Readers Engaged – Laura and Jon edit a scene from Jon’s space opera.

Episode 80 – Jeff and Laura Q&A – Jeff and Laura answer questions from the Dialoggers.

Episode 79 – Carmen Dillion and Cinematic Writing – Jeff talks with Carmen Dillion about ways to empower the reader’s imagination.

Episode 78 – Laura Humm and Lon Varnadore Talk about Pacing in a Story – Laura and Lon break down changing emotional tone, the pacing of a piece, and writing great voices.

Episode 77 – Talking Characterization with the 3 Story Method Editors – editors join together to talk about writing great characters.

Episode 76 – Paige Theriot and Adding Descriptions to Dialogue – Jeff and Paige talk about building a cinematic scene for your reader.

Episode 75 – Writing in Community with Laura Humm, Faye Whyte, and Amy Schottenfels – a discussion about working together on a book.

Episode 74 – Alicia McCalla and Emotional Flow – Alicia and Jeff talk about world-building, emotional flow, and internal monologue.

Episode 73 – Jeff and Laura New Year Q&A – talk about managing projects and goals.

Episode 72 – The House in the Cerulean Sea Book Club – we talk character transformation and dialogue in this master-level work.

Episode 71 – SW Millar – dialogue tags, emotional pacing, and characterization.

Episode 70 – Three Story Method Editors on Editing – 7 editors join Jeff to talk about what editors do for writers.

Episode 69 – Laura with Elizabeth Lynn Seaton – in her first solo episode, Laura talks to Lynn about moving a scene with a lot of description to a more engaging scene based in dialogue.

Episode 68 – Jeff and Laura Q&A – Jeff and Laura answer questions about realism in dialogue and the speed of a scene.

Episode 67 – Dennis Kurlas Book Coaching – In this episode, Jeff and Dennis look at two scenes together and give you an inside look at Dialogue Doctor Book Coaching.

Episode 66 – Crys Cain and What Good is Prose? – In this episode, Jeff and Crys talk about writing everything around the dialogue.

Episode 65 – Eric Heuser Returns – Jeff and Eric go back to a scene they first discussed in episode 35.

Episode 64 – JP Rindfliesch and Christine Daigle – Jeff, JP, and Christine talk editing and serialized fiction.

Episode 63 – Scott Fishman – Jeff and Scott talk about making memoirs more engaging.

Episode 62 – Book Club – Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard – Jeff, Laura, and the community talk about Elmore Leonard’s dialogue.

Episode 61 – Faye Whyte Returns – Jeff and Faye talk about spatial awareness and body language.

Episode 60 – Vehicles, Engines, Anchors, and Hazards – In a solo episode, Jeff talked through new terms about taking a read on an emotional journey.

Episode 59 – Lisa Young – Jeff and Lisa work on the emotional content of a piece together.

Episode 58 – SW Millar – Jeff and Shane look through a piece together.

Episode 57 – Building a Character Voice that Empowers Plot – Jeff and Laura demonstrate how they work from plot to voice.

Episode 56 – Jeff and Laura Q&A + New Tools – Jeff and Laura reflect on a mini-conference and reveal new things.

Episode 55 – The 7 Deadly Sins of Dialogue – Jeff gets into the most common mistakes he sees authors making.

Episode 54 – Tom Holbrook – Jeff and Tom go deep into editing after building a character wheel chart.

Episode 53 – Marry Morrison – Jeff and Mary get into spicing up a memoir with dialogue.

Episode 52 – Q&A Year One Celebration – Jeff, Laura, and Carin get together to review what they’ve learned.

Episode 51 – Ray Bradbury – Members of the DD Slack group examine All Summers in a Day by Ray Bradbury

Episode 50 – Faye Whyte and a Series – Jeff and Faye talk through character change in her series.

Episode 49 – Laura Interviews Jeff – Jeff is put in the hot seat for the first time in the podcast

Episode 48 – JM Bedard – Jeff and JM talk big cast scenes and nonverbal characters.

Episode 47 – Dialogue Tags Q&A – Laura and Jeff talk all things dialogue tags.

Episode 46 – Emmie B – Jeff and Emmie talk writing changing POV for big cast scenes

Episode 45 – Understanding Characterization After Party – a group comes together to talk about lessons learned from the conference this weekend.

Episode 44 – Book Club – Borrowed Time by Tracy Clark – The group returns to dig into a wonderful mystery.

Episode 43 – Flannery O’Conner Character Wheel – Jeff and the gang build a character wheel from a short story.

Episode 42 – Deconstructing Story Structure – In this solo episode, Jeff takes a different look at story and what it is.

Episode 41 – Matty Dalrymple Returns – Jeff and Matty look at a piece Matty wrote and go deep into keeping the dialogue moving.

Episode 40 – Angela Ackerman – Jeff and Jeannette talk writing with Angela Ackerman.

Episode 39 – Ran Weingartner – Jeff and Ran talk about emotion in short fiction.

Episode 38 – Modulating Character Voices – In a solo episode, Jeff breaks down why and how to modulate a character’s voice.

Episode 37 – Katlyn Duncan – Jeff and Katlyn work together on the emotional tone of a chapter.

Episode 36 – Guardians of the Galaxy Character Wheel – Jeff and other dialogue fanatics break down the voices of this great cast of characters.

Episode 35 – Eric Heuser – Jeff and Eric work together on the emotional build of his scene.

Episode 34 – The Enneagram and the Maxey Co. – Jeff and Wendy talk to Morgan and Robby Maxey about the Enneagram and how it can be a tool for authors.

Episode 33 – Jane Gorman – Jeff and Jane work through her character voices while they look at a wonderful scene Jane wrote.

Episode 32 – BOOK CLUB – The Sun Also Rises – Jeff comes together with Laura, Faye, and Vince to talk about Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”

Episode 31 – Q & A – Jeff sits down with Michele Tracy Berger and Laura Humm to discuss the question, “What is something authors do in dialogue that makes you want to put the book down?”

Episode 30 – James Jones – Jeff and James talk about dialogue vs plot, emotional flow, and the cadence of characters.

Episode 29 – Modulating Voices – In a solo episode, Jeff describes modulating voices for emotional impact.

Episode 28 – Doug Sjoquist – Jeff and Doug talk about dialogue in action scenes and emotional flow.

Episode 27 – Sacha Black – Jeff and Sacha look at a piece Sacha is working on and discuss a wide variety of topics about writing.

Episode 26 – Lethal Weapon Character Wheel – Jeff, Laura, and Tory Element break down the character voices in the movie Lethal Weapon

Episode 25 – The Dialogue Daisy – In a solo show, Jeff lays out his system for characterization

Episode 24 – Understanding Gender Diversity and Gender Mapping – Jeff is joined by a panel of friends to learn from Dr. Paz Galupo and Carin Galupo about Gender Mapping.

Episode 23 – Die Hard Character Wheel Panel Discussion – Jeff and Laura are joined by Tory Element and Faye Whyte to build a character wheel for John McClane.

Episode 22 – Holiday Special – Jeff brings on his three brothers-in-law and his wife to talk Christmas Vacation the movie.

Episode 21 – John Sales – Jeff and John look at the movie Ground Hog Day.

Episode 20 – Victoria Tait – Jeff and Victoria talk about writing “big cast” scenes and making smooth transitions in dialogue.

Episode 19 – Panel Discussion on Writing a Dialogue Only First Draft – Jeff and friends sit down to discuss writing in a different way.

Episode 18 – Sherilyn Decter – Jeff and Sheri talk about character voices and writing children.

Episode 17 – BOOK CLUB – We look at Beloved by Toni Morrison

Episode 16 with Lily Fouts – Jeff and Lily examine a scene of her memoir.

Episode 15 with Laura Humm – Jeff and Laura attack the question, “What is one thing you can start doing right now to improve your dialogue?”

Episode 14 with Tory Element – Jeff and Tory work on a science fiction piece together.

Episode 13 with Wendy Elkins – Jeff and Wendy read a scene from when Harry Met Sally

Episode 12 with Matty Dalrymple – Jeff and Matty discuss carrying a character across a series and audiobooks.

Episode 11 with Jeff Elkins – Jeff edits the first book he ever wrote.

Episode 10 with SA Schneider – SA Schneider and Jeff talk fan fiction and writing Doctor Who.

Episode 9 with Laura Humm – Laura returns to the podcast to talk about building a large cast of characters.

Episode 8 with Sherilyn Decter – Jeff and Sharilyn sit down to discuss a piece together.

Episode 7 with Rachael Muller – Jeff and Rachael discuss scenes from the TV show, The X Files.

Episode 6 with Janet Kitto – Jeff and Janet sit down to design a character Janet is preparing to write.

Episode 5 with Laura Humm – Jeff and Laura sit down to discuss what makes great dialogue.

Episode 4 with J Thorn – Jeff and J sit down to discuss the first chapter of a book J is starting.

Episode 3 with Rachael Muller – Jeff and Rachael discuss scenes from the TV show, The Magicians.

Episode 2 with Alicia McCalla – A conversation about Alicia’s work, the need for diverse characters, and writing unique voices.