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There really is a science to writing fiction


There’s good news for writers and readers alike. Award-winning author John Hough, Jr., has compiled a new “how-to” book on writing dialogue, The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Dialogue: A Fresh Look at an Essential Ingredient of the Craft, recently published by Allworth Press. 

I was fortunate to meet John at a writing conference in Massachusetts a few years ago and benefited from his editorial services during the publication of my current novel and thriller Wiggle Room. John tells me that the new The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Dialogue is a fun read for readers as well as writers. According to reviewer Jack Shea, Hough’s writing guide magnifies the magic of literature for readers, connecting them to the requirements of good fiction and explaining that readers must be willing to suspend disbelief. For a fiction author like me, whose other profession is rooted deeply in science, John Hough’s new book provides an easy to follow guide regarding the function of fictional dialogue and how it drives the plot. If you would like to read the complete Shea review, here’s the link: http://www.mvtimes.com/2015/03/11/dissecting-dialogue-john-hough-jr/ .

My friend John Hough, Jr., is the author of six novels. Shortly after first meeting and beginning to work with John as an editor, I was engrossed in his historical novel, Seen the Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg, winner of the 2010 W.Y. Boyd Award for excellence in military fiction from the American Library Association. Although written from the perspective of the Union army, the reader feels such deep empathy with the characters and their cause during the Civil War that even a modern-day Johnny Reb could turn.

I encourage everyone to check-out John Hough’s new 143-page guide to writing dialogue in fiction now available on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-Writers-Guide-Dialogue-Ingredient/dp/1621534391/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428891680&sr=1-1&keywords=john+hough%2C+jr.

-----Darden North
       www.dardennorth.com

Comments

Marni said…
Thanks for this great tip. I will forward it on to the writing group I mentor~

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