Writing Dialogue (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The world is crowded with voices..." (more)
Key Phrases: misdirected dialogue, modulated dialogue, dat pie, Norma Jean, Anna Sergeyevna, Christopher Columbus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Characters need to speak to each other, but writers often have trouble crafting dialogue that sounds aut hentic and original. Whether it''s an argument or a love scen e, Chiarella demonstrates how to write exchanges that sound realistic. '

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Story Press (February 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884910327
• ISBN-13: 978-1884910326
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,975 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #52 in

  Books > Reference > Writing > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Resource, May 13, 2000

By	Deborah A. Woehr (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is great to have if you feel you need to improve the dialogue in your fiction. It is written with a conversational style throughout. Chiarella points out that real-time dialogue is not the same as fictional dialogue. By listening to other people talk (as well as myself), I find that he is quite correct. He teaches you how to push your story forward with dialogue, when to make your character talk (or shut up), and gives good examples of 'tennis court talking' or dialogue that goes nowhere. This book is a very good resource for my shelf.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learn to Listen, June 19, 2001

By	Russell Diederich (Littleton, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Dialogue is the hardest thing to write. A story shines when it is done well. When the dialogue is bad, no one can wait to put the book down. Many of us never realize that dialogue happens all around us every day. The number one lesson that Tom Chiarella teaches in this book is learn to listen to this dialogue. Listen to how people talk. Write down what people say. Write down what you say. Listen.

This book was the best that I have read on dialogue yet. Chiarella writes with a simple style that feels like you're actually talking to him about dialogue while sitting over a cup of coffee. At the end of each chapter he provides a few exercises to practice the ideas that he talked about.

Pay particular attention to his first chapter on learning how to listen, and his "Nuts and Bolts" chapter. His chapter on "Writing for Radio, TV and Movies," provides some good ideas even if you are not writing for that medium. This is one of the better texts on writing, and I will hold on to this one for some time.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful, January 6, 2000

By	Raymond Bingham (Fort Collins, Co USA) - See all my reviews

Although I didn't agree with everything presented, neither did the Author, and that was refreshing. I love how Tom's instructions are presented in workbook fashion, leaving much of the interpretation and real grasp of the concepts up to the reader. Unlike other texts on this subject, the book gives good treatment to all aspects of dialogue. I first read this at my public library, and have decided to buy it because I consider this a very valuable resource, with so much stuff in it, that I'll need to return to it again and again... Whether you are experienced or just starting out, this book provides useful hints on how to sharpen your dialogue.