Writing Great Dialogue: An Introduction—Free Online Class

WRITING GREAT DIALOGUE

THE MASTER CLASS

WHAT PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

I am finished with the revision of what is now a complete manuscript (forthcoming from She Writes Press in 2019!) that has grown from a project I had almost tossed away in frustration. I can’t say enough about the value of Joan's support to a self-doubting but determined writer!
Elena Schwolsky-Fitch

Joan’s insights and advice about the process of writing proved to be invaluable. I walked away with concrete, helpful suggestions and a sense of new direction. Learning from Joan was easy, too—she’s fun and organized. (Lynne Marino's Five Things is available now!)
Lynne Marino

I highly recommend Joan Dempsey as a mentor to help aspiring authors produce publishable writing pieces. I will always be in her debt.

—Cheryl Abney

Joan’s input and advice has made me a far better writer. If you want a teacher who is honest, superb at her job, and kind as well, I unhesitatingly recommend Joan. She’s the best!

—Frances Barrett-Reed

As an instructor, Joan is present and active. Her online courses were well worth my time and money. They have been the best investment in strengthening my writing craft.

—Diana Rigor

I plan on continuing to go over all this material because it all has great value to me. This course has changed my writing forever. I really appreciate your guidance, Joan!

—Scott Fowler

Thank you, Joan, for exponentially expanding the size of my "writer's toolbox." I'd highly recommend this course to others!

—Donna Schwender

JOAN DEMPSEY, AS SEEN IN AND HEARD ON

Applying Joan Dempsey’s teachings, my short stories were selected two years in a row (2016, 2017) for the Florida Writers Association Collection. As her student, I have always been appreciative and fully satisfied as the recipient of her knowledge, expertise, and dedication. I respectfully credit and thank Joan for sharing her ability to cut and polish manuscripts, create great dialogue, and produce quality work. I highly recommend Joan Dempsey as a mentor to help aspiring authors produce publishable writing pieces. I will always be in her debt.
Cheryl Abney

One of Joan’s outstanding skills is she cuts to the heart of the issues in one’s writing but does it in such a way that inspires and empowers you to get it right. For instance, I didn’t know until I worked with Joan that my characters were flat and sounded exactly alike! Joan helped me breathe life into my people by pointing out how each individual can be recognized by their speech patterns, and how written dialogue is different, and needs to be sharper, than the normal spoken word. Strong dialogue, along with her other suggestions for character development, helped me make huge improvements to my novel. Joan’s input and advice has made me a far better writer. If you want a teacher who is honest, superb at her job, and kind as well, I unhesitatingly recommend Joan. She’s the best!
Frances Barrett-Reed

I recommend Joan Dempsey's writing courses to any writer wanting to better their craft. Designed for adult learners, her lessons and exercises are directly applicable to improving your writing today. As an instructor, Joan is present and active. Her online revision courses were well worth my time and money. They have been the best investment in strengthening my writing craft.
Diana Rigor

Joan challenged me and encouraged me to push myself even further. One thing that has already changed now that Joan’s got my back is my willingness to try things out. I appreciate the genuine nature of our collaboration and the fact that Joan has created a safe environment for me as a writer. She has given me a priceless gift—validation!
Lilianne Milgrom

The manner in which you've presented the information, Joan, is one of the most valuable parts of this course for me. Flipping back through the lessons, I realize that it's all there in bite-size, manageable chunks for me to refer back to as needed. As an admitted "dialogue dodger," that leaves me feeling much more confident in being able to conquer my self-imposed stumbling block. I'm actually looking forward to revisiting my works in progress to see how I can incorporate more dialogue. That alone is HUGE!!!

I'm sincerely committed to using EACH of the new tools you've provided me with. Thank you, Joan, for exponentially expanding the size of my "writer's toolbox." I'd highly recommend this course to others!
Donna Schwender

MORE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE MASTER CLASS

I have to agree with the others that your thorough coverage of this aspect of writing is just what I needed to improve my use of dialogue. And the 'bite-sized chunks' as someone else described them, help me think about each aspect separately rather than just trying to decide what is right/wrong with a bit of dialogue I've written. Thanks for your hard work in putting the course together and being there to critique our efforts. I learned a lot from reading other people's work and seeing what you suggested as well.
Dawn S. Writing Great Dialogue Participant
Looking over the course lessons, they really opened my eyes as to how important and multi-purpose dialogue is. Before the course, I relied much more on exposition to handle story elements over dialogue. I have learned that the two can work in tandem to achieve the same result. Additionally, when dialogue is crafted with this in mind, it becomes more focused, more effective, and enhances the storytelling experience for the reader. Also, very helpful is the feedback you provided to me, and everyone else. This is an excellent course and I will reference it for all my future writing projects.
Lou S. Writing Great Dialogue Participant
I know I'm going to continue to work on creating unique voices for my characters so they don't all sound alike and creating dynamic interaction and conversation between characters and in groups. Thanks for keeping the access open so I can go back and revisit some of the lessons to review the learning. I also appreciated the opportunity to read other class members submissions, and really enjoyed seeing how creatively others tackle the same topic. Thanks to everyone who shared their work, or commented on mine.
Sharon F. Writing Great Dialogue Participant
I plan on continuing to go over all this material because it all has great value to me. This course has changed my writing forever. I really appreciate your guidance, Joan.
Scott F. Writing Great Dialogue Participant
My critical takeaways: make my characters sound unique; make my dialogue and prose leaner; leave out extraneous back story, or do a better job weaving it into conversation; push my characters to be more obvious (or as you put it, Joan, let myself bust out); write what scares me the most. Thank you so much, Joan!
Margaret D. Writing Great Dialogue Participant
What was most valuable? All of it! I've never given much thought to the function of dialogue so this class was eye-opening. At some point I'll make a dialogue cheat-sheet to have handy when I write. One thing I wish I had done differently was to commit to taking a lesson every day. Thank you so much for the class and your feedback.
Mary I. Writing Great Dialogue Participant

SHOW ME ALL THE DETAILS

Enrollment in the Writing Great Dialogue Master Class closes in

I'M READY TO ENROLL

As soon as you sign up, you'll get an email from Joan with details about the class.

Have questions? Email Joan.

DON'T MISS OUT!

JOAN DEMPSEY, AS SEEN IN AND HEARD ON