Shut Up! He Explained: A Writer's Guide to the Uses and Misuses of Dialogue
by William Noble
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Description
Dialogue must contribute to the telling of the story said Victorian-era novelist Anthony Trollope more than one hundred years ago and his words have been a yardstick for writers ever since. A more recent novelist, Stephen King, wrote, "When dialogue is right, we know. When it's wrong we also know-it jags on the ear like a badly tuned musical instrument." In "Shut Up " He Explained (the title comes from a Ring Lardner poke at the way some people overwrite), William Noble shows you how to show more write dialogue that sounds right and contributes. Fiction or Nonfiction With liberal use of anecdotes and examples, Noble develops six "Master Keys to Dialogue," each of which is crucial for the fiction or nonfiction writer to understand and use. You'll learn how to use dialogue to: - create tension - develop your characters - establish setting - move the plot - create flashbacks and transitions You'll also learn when to use narrative instead of dialogue; how to write in dialect; and how to deal with interior monologue (your character's thoughts). And more An important section of "Shut Up " He Explained covers the misuse of dialogue from the legal viewpoint, exploring libel and right-to-privacy. Get a copy of "Shut Up He Explained" an make your writing scintillate with captivating dialogue. "This is the best book that I could find on the use of dialog when writing fiction." -Amazon.com review show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This book was ok. I found myself disagreeing with some of it though. I think it would be good for people who have no idea how to write dialogue, but if you're been doing it for a while with success, this book doesn't offer anything new.
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Author Information
18+ Works 747 Members
William Noble is the author of 15 books, including Three Rules for Writing a Novel, The Twenty-Eight Biggest Writing Blunders, and Bookbanning in America. His articles have appeared in such magazines as Writer's Digest and Self. He lives in Island Heights, New Jersey. (Bowker Author Biography)
Common Knowledge
- Blurbers
- Berkov, Walter
Classifications
- Genre
- Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 808.02 — Literature & rhetoric Literature, rhetoric & criticism Rhetoric and collections of literary texts from more than two literatures Rhetoric and anthologies Authorship techniques, plagiarism, editorial techniques
- LCC
- PN218 .N63 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Authorship Technique. Literary composition, etc.
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 54
- Popularity
- 564,323
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.80)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 3
