Fiction Writer's Guide to Dialogue: A Fresh Look at an Essential Ingredient of the Craft

An excellent book! I enjoyed the many examples of good dialogue, always accompanied by the author's reasons why it works or not. Not only was I inspired to apply these principles to a novel I was working on, but the author provided a number of tips for tightening up my prose. Highly recommended!

No one expects a book about writing to be a fun read. This one is. Like Jane Smiley in "Thirteen Ways to Read a Novel," Hough manages to be lucid, witty, and straightforward. And he pulls no punches. We learn what writers he enjoys and why he enjoys them (a fairly well-balanced mix of males and females). We discover with his help what works and what doesn't in dialogue. Most important, he does NOT show examples of bad dialogues; he shows what makes the good ones good and why. This, I appreciated. One thing I would have liked to know more about is something so basic, I'm sure most experienced writers don't think about it. The best dialogue probably begins with many so-so drafts as the writer "just gets it written." Eventually, it's ready for the fine-tuning Hough spells out for us in this concise, handy, well-organized book.

I ate the book ans digested it! Its all meat and potatoes fir rhe budding author without any pompas fluff. Consider this the novelist's text book.

an excellent little book very helpful

I bought this book as a requirement for my Creative Writing class and it has interesting and great advice, but the way it's written is like there are set rules for dialogue that must be followed to write a good book, and that's not necessarily true. Even my professor admitted that she doesn't agree with everything said in this book, and I feel the same way. It's a great guide for your writing and something to try out, but it's not the end all be all for writing dialogue. With all that being said, I do recommend it.

Best book on dialogue I've seen. Hough goes at dialogue from every angle, from tags to tension, to hearing, to choreographing dialogue with description, to story telling through dialogue, to dialect, accents, and vernacular. He gives multiple examples in each area. This book focuses solely on dialogue, as it should (and others don't.)

The introduction alone is worth the book

I enjoyed the insights that I gained from this book and it has greatly helped me in my writing dialogue. It is an easy and enjoyable read.

i struggled with dialogue, I just couldn't make it sound authentic. But this book, with all its examples and its incedible, easy to understand tips, changed that and i feel as if i am a better writer just because i read this book. Thank you!!!

Well, at the very least I have learned something useful from this book.Chapter 2 is worth the price of admittance alone. It's about why real dialogue, the stuff that we... you know... um... er... [actually that reminds me...] speak doesn't make for good written dialogue. It shows the problem and suggests how to fix it. Good enough for me; I understood it already but I needed this spelt out with a bit of useful analysis and guidance.Which is why I wanted to give it a 5 star review.The real-life dialogue thing connected with me instantly so that's what I've noted here but the author has looked at lots of other elements of dialogue and my guess is that at least one of them will connect with you too.Love the clarity of writing.Inspiring, useful, and value for money. My thanks to the author.

"This is the paradox of dialogue in fiction: the better the dialogue, the less realistic it is likely to be, and the more realistic it will sound."This was one of the gems that got stuck in my mind and I am keeping it in mind every time my characters open their mouths to say something. There are many other gold nuggets like this in the book. Most of them I had not seen spelled out that clearly before. This book was not only full of great advice but it was also a joy to read and not preachy in the way it delivered its messages.

A good aid to writing dialogue, but pick and choose what advice you follow.

Dialogue is an important part of writing and this book manages to make the point in a way that makes it enjoyable to read. Good examples throughout of what the author means.