Writing Dialogue
Let Dan help you create realistic, believable dialogue for your book
M
aster the Art of Compelling Conversation.
Here’s something agents and editors know that most writers don’t: when a submission lands on their desk, many of them flip straight to the first dialogue exchange and make their decision right there.
Because dialogue reveals everything. Whether your characters have distinct voices. Whether you understand the difference between fictional dialogue and how real people talk. Whether you can write conversation that feels natural rather than constructed.
Bad dialogue kills good manuscripts. Great dialogue can carry a mediocre plot.
I help fiction writers develop dialogue that crackles — distinct, purposeful, and unmistakably human. Or alien! Or monster!
Two Ways to Work With Me:
Dialogue Diagnostic Call — $47
Best if: You’ve received feedback that your dialogue feels wooden, your characters all sound alike, or your conversations feel clunky — and you’re not sure why.
We’ll briefly talk on the phone and get the payment sorted but also talk a little about your needs. You send me two or three dialogue-heavy scenes beforehand. I read them before we meet on Zoom. Then we spend 45 minutes on a Zoom call identifying exactly what’s not working and how to fix it. You leave with specific, actionable techniques and resources you can apply immediately.
→ Book a Dialogue Diagnostic Call — $47 (see Calendly booking widget below)
Dialogue Coaching Session — $197
Best if: You want to develop a genuine ear for authentic dialogue — not just fix one scene but build the skill so every conversation you write going forward lands the way you intend.
We’ll briefly talk on the phone and get the payment sorted but also talk a little about your needs. You send me four or five dialogue-heavy scenes beforehand. I read them before we meet on Zoom. Then we spend 90 minutes on a Zoom call and work through your existing dialogue together, identify your patterns and weak spots, and develop targeted techniques tailored to your specific characters and genre. You leave with specific, actionable techniques and resources you can apply immediately.
→ Request a Dialogue Coaching Session — $197 (see Calendly booking widget below)
What Writers Say
“Dan came up with some great dialogue, characters and scenes… He has a genuine enthusiasm for storytelling and I got caught up myself as we hashed out the plot beat by beat.” — Gordon Leith
“His advice on character development was particularly valuable — he helped me understand how to transform and deepen my characters in ways that brought them to life on the page.” — Cherie Hans
You Need This If
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Every character in your manuscript sounds like the same person -
You've received feedback about 'wooden' or 'stilted' dialogue
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Your characters talk like real people (problematic) instead of fictional characters (good)
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Your conversations convey information but don't reveal character
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Your dialogue slows the story down instead of energizing it
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You want to impress agents and editors from the first page
What We’ll Work On
Distinct character voices — developing speech patterns so individual that readers know who’s talking without a dialogue tag.
Exposition — how to deliver exposition in dialogue that doesn’t sound like “As you know…”.
Dialogue that does double duty — advancing plot and revealing character in the same exchange. Tension and conflict — using conversation to create friction even in ordinary scenes. The biggest trick — recognizing the difference between how people actually talk and how effective fictional dialogue should sound.
Why Work With Me?
Published fiction author. Horror Writers Association member. Short fiction published in anthologies edited by Robert McCammon, Jane Yolen, and Ramsey Campbell, with personal praise from Ray Bradbury. Dialogue is one of the craft elements I’ve studied most deeply — and one of the areas where I see writers make the most correctable mistakes.
Ready?
→ Book a Dialogue Diagnostic Call Below — $47
→ Request a Dialogue Coaching Below — $197