A Wordsmith’s Guide to Writing Authentic DialogueThe Wordsmith's Guides

Written by Elizabeth M. Hurst A Really Useful Resource ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Published by     Independently Published 30 Jun. 2026 Genre Nonfiction, Writers' Guides Pages 175 ASIN B0GQQ28D5C

#20BOS26 Reading Challenge Book #8

Having previously read and been impressed with A Wordsmith's Guide to Planning the Perfect Plot by Elizabeth M. Hurst, today I am joining the blog tour for A Wordsmith’s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue and I begin by thanking Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to take part, and the author, Ms Hurst, for a free digital copy of her work to review.

The blurb:

A Wordsmith’s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue

Do you lack confidence when writing dialogue for your fictional characters?

Do you want to learn how to make each person 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;
• diagnose-and-rewrite case studies (where relevant);
• 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. Pick up your copy today.

Writing Reference    Non Fiction

My thoughts:

Having found the information offered in A Wordsmith's Guide to Planning the Perfect Plot invaluable, I was keen to read A Wordsmith’s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue to see if this would help me improve how I write dialogue.

I tend to write dialogue as it appears in my head, but sometimes when I read it back, it doesn't quite work. This guide made me look at the possible reasons for this such as – filling the page with phonetic spelling dialect which can be exhausting to read, when a few choice words or phrases can convey that regional dialect; or unintentionally making each character speak with the same voice. I hadn't thought about this before, but will take that forward.

As a kinetic learner, I found the examples given throughout the book extremely helpful in understanding how well-written dialogue conveys so much more than just a conversation.

Another really useful writing tool for the budding writer!

Purchase from:

Amazon UK     Amazon US     Amazon CA     Amazon AU     Amazon IN

Author Bio – Elizabeth M. Hurst

Elizabeth was born and bred in the picturesque harbour town of Whitehaven in the northwest of England, where the long, wet winters moulded her into a voracious reader of fiction to escape the dismal weather. In 2016, Elizabeth set up her freelance editing and proofreading business, EMH Editorial Services. In 2018, she quit the corporate world and concentrated her energy full-time towards her love of the written word. Elizabeth has published timeslip novellas (the Lost Souls series) and a stand-alone novel, A Light Shines in Darkness, based on Blessed Angelina of Marsciano. She is also the author of The Wordsmith’s Guides, a series of nonfiction books on the craft of writing. Elizabeth now lives with her husband in the warm and sunny south of France, where the wine is cheaper than the water, and the cats spend their days hunting lizards and dreaming of the birds that roost on the roof.

Other books I've read by Elizabeth M. Hurst

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