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Writing Dialogue for Scripts: Effective Dialogue for Film, TV, Radio and Stage (Writing Handbooks): Effective Dialogue for Film, TV, Radio and Stage (Writing Handbooks)
Gets to the heart of dialogueJuly 1, 2008 This is not a book about screenwriting but a book about dialogue and one which does the job excellently. I heartily recommend this to anyone interested in understanding the way speech works and how to transfer that speech into script dialogue that will come across as dynamic.
Very useful bookMarch 3, 2006 This is a great book. It gives great advice on how to write good dialogue dealing with many different styles of dialogue and how it changes between the different mediums of theatre and screen. The writing style is very easy to understand with no jargon being used without being first explained. I started around the same time that I bought this book and can see a clear difference in the quality of dialogue at the beginning and where I am now which shows just how useful this book is. I would reccommend this to anyone wishing to improve their skills at writing good dialogue for scripts.
Really badMarch 21, 2002 16 out of 32 found this review helpful
Do not buy this book! It is a waste of money. There are a lot of books on screenwriting. Some are good. Some are bad. This is not a good one. If you are interested in writing film/short films then stay away from this really terrible book. This book is about writing dialouge for PLAYS/not film/not radio. The author writes plays and pretends he writes screenplays. He has only been a script reader. Look, if you want to write plays - then buy this book. But if you want to write for film - do not buy this book!
If you want to write good dialogue, buy this!April 30, 2001 15 out of 15 found this review helpful
An excellent book. The author begins by exploring how people really talk, then moves on to examine how we need to adapt this when writing fictional dialogue, to retain the essence of realism without the boredom factor. He goes on to look at the different styles of dialogue, from realism and heightened realism to the highly stylised dialogue written by people such as Oscar Wilde. Fascinating stuff, with gems of relevant info on every page.
Unlike many books on fiction writing, the author does not talk down to the reader. Neither does he include general fiction-writing info which is not strictly relevant to the title of the tome - a huge bonus, since it can be irritating when every fiction-writing guide you pick up, whatever its professed subject matter, tells you the same fundamental stuff you've read a thousand times before. Full marks for sticking to the subject and covering it in depth, rather than padding it out with "general" writing tips.
I strongly recommend this book.
Shows you how to improve dialogue and avoid the many trapsJanuary 23, 2001 14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Although primarily aimed at scriptwriting, this book reveals how inexperienced writers tend to come out with atrocious lines when they attempt dialogue. The author presents good examples of the common pitfalls. I particularly like the section in Chapter Four when he examines a stretch of crap dialogue and then proceeds to fix the material up. I found this kind of practical advice very useful. In comparison,Stephen King's recent book on writing is a disappointing swindle.
