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Fiction Writer's Guide to Dialogue: A Fresh Look at an Essential Ingredient of the Craft Paperback – February 17, 2015

by John Hough Jr. (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 133 ratings
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Dialogue is often overlooked as a necessary and potent instrument in the novelist’s repertoire. A novel can rise or fall on the strength of its dialogue. Superb dialogue can make a superb novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Action is character.” George V. Higgins said, “Dialogue is character.” They were both right, because dialogue is action. It comprises much, if not all, of the clarifying drama of any novel. How much physical action can there be in 300 pages, even in a crime novel or a thriller? And all conflict, even physical, begins as dialogue.

Hough explains how dialogue can reveal a character’s nature as well as his or her defining impulses and emotions. He says there must be tension in every colloquy in fiction, and shows the reader ways to achieve it. Hough illustrates his precepts with examples from his own work and from that of the best modern writers of dialogue, including Cormac McCarthy, Kent Haruf, Joan Didion, Annie Proulx, Lee Smith, Elmore Leonard, George V. Higgins, William Kennedy and Howard Frank Mosher. He cites early 20th century writers who refined and advanced dialogue as an art form: Ernest Hemingway, Ring Lardner, Dorothy Parker, and William Saroyan.

Hough’s novel Seen the Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg was praised by Lee Smith as containing “the best dialogue of the period I have ever read.” Hough on Dialogue will give writers and aspiring writers a fresh look at one of the essential ingredients of their craft.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Allworth Press
  4. Publication date
    February 17, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1621534391
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1621534396
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Terrific. Hough has caught the spirit of young enlisted men in the army, and has done a splendid job of research on the Twentieth Massachusetts to get its role in the Gettysburg campaign right. It is a great read." —James M. McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

"It reads as if you were there. Captures the chaos, excitement, brutality and nature of the battle as well as anyone has. It is the way I think a soldier in combat saw it." —Scott Hartwig, Gettysburg Battlefield Historian

"Just when you think there are no new stories under the sun about the Civil War-here it comes! John Hough looks at the theme of race and the battle of Gettysburg from a strikingly different angle. Join up and go to war with these boys from the Vineyard; you won't be able to catch your breath until this fast, brilliant novel is over. Seen the Glory is an original, profound novel, with the best dialogue of the period I have ever read." —Lee Smith, author of On Agate Hill, Fair and Tender Ladies, and Oral History

"John Hough has created a true American story, truer than our collective memory has allowed until now. For that reason it deepens our understanding of the waste and tragedy of the Civil War-and the challenge for us of living out its complicated legacy." —Lorene Cary, author of Black Ice and The Price of a Child

About the Author

John Hough, Jr. grew up on Cape Cod and graduated from Haverford College. He is the author of six novels, including Seen the Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg, winner of the 2010 W. Y. Boyd Aware for excellence in military fiction from the American Library Association, and Little Bighorn (Arcade 2014). Mr. Hough teaches creative writing at his home on Martha’s Vineyard and in the island’s Adult Community Education program. For many years he taught dialogue at SEAK, Inc. fiction writing conferences. He lives with his wife in West Tisbury.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allworth Press (February 17, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1621534391
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1621534396
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 133 ratings

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John Hough

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
133 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dann Hazel
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Practical
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
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!
4 people found this helpful
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Altria
4.0 out of 5 stars Lucid, witty, straightforward advice
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
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.
11 people found this helpful
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Rose Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Important Info Delivered in a Fun Way
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2020
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This book is chockablock with important information about the all-important art of writing dialogue, and it’s delivered in a really fun, relatable, readable style. I highly recommend it as a good quick overview or refresher for all fiction writers.
5 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely helpful for the budding author
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2020
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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.
8 people found this helpful
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Wayfaring Stranger
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Advice But Mostly Subjective
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
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.
15 people found this helpful
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Karen PH
5.0 out of 5 stars Best dialogue book ever
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015
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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.)
14 people found this helpful
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Ladyhawke
5.0 out of 5 stars good book
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2020
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an excellent little book very helpful
One person found this helpful
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Jeanna Lucas
4.0 out of 5 stars I would recommend
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2016
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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.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Pam/Randy
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in Canada on August 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
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!!!
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Oli Grunfeld
5.0 out of 5 stars You can learn something useful from this book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
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.
One person found this helpful
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Elke Scheurmann
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a must-read for any serious fiction writer
Reviewed in Australia on June 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
"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.
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Joey Y
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Advice for Writers
Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
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.
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Mr. Stephen F. Male
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Overview and Guide
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
The author covers a lot of ground and gives numerous examples to illustrate the points he is making.

My only reservation was I would have liked a section on currently accepted punctuation and layout for dialogue in a novel, as this seems to be a source of much angst to new and experienced novelists alike.

But apart from this a well written guide to good practice.
2 people found this helpful
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