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A Wordsmiths Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue is the latest book from author Elizabeth M Hurst. It is the fifth book in the Wordsmiths guides series.
Do you lack confidence when writing dialogue for your fictional characters?
Do you want each person to have a distinctive voice?
Real conversations wander. Fictional dialogue can’t afford to.
A Wordsmith’s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue is a practical, encouraging craft book for fiction writers who want dialogue that does more than fill the page. You’ll learn how to make every exchange purposeful, character-specific, and charged with subtext—without gimmicks, melodrama, or the dreaded “As you know…” exposition.
You will learn how to:
- build distinct voices through rhythm, worldview, and verbal habits (not quirky spelling);
- show status and power through questions, interruptions, silence, and topic control;
- handle tags, beats, and action cleanly so dialogue moves instead of clogs;
- write conflict that escalates and changes shape (without repeating itself);
- approach trauma, consent, and emotionally heavy scenes without voyeurism or melodrama.
You’ll also find:
- short, generic examples you can learn from immediately;
- focused exercises you can complete in 10–20 minutes;
- checklists: quick bullet points to use while drafting and revising.
If your characters explain too much, sound the same, circle the point, or talk in a void—this guide will give you clear tools to diagnose the problem and rewrite with confidence.
Have the confidence to write dialogue that reflects the best of your characters, and the best of your writing.
A Wordsmiths Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue is utterly brilliant. It’s a tool for new and budding writers but also a great reminder for seasoned authors who might be stuck in a rut with their writing.
This book in the series focuses on dialogue, which is essential to any story, as dialogue can anchor a plot, move it along or be used to introduce and show a character’s personality and motivations for doing something. It hightlights the six jobs dialogue must do in clear and easy to understand points. It’s a book that will transform how you write, think, and use dialogue in your work.
A must- read for all writers.
You can get a copy of A Wordsmiths Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue here!
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