Episode 251 - Jeff and Laura Q&A

The Dialogue Doctor Podcast

In this episode, Jeff and Laura come together for a Q&A. Questions from the Dialoggers included: ---How do you keep track of everything for long, complex stories with elaborate world building?

---How do you make a novel's opening scene engaging while also needing to establish 'the new world'?

---Considering how expensive audio books are to produce, at what point should an indie author jump on it?

---What are some good tactics on how to improve your prose and more clearly find your voice?

---How do you make necessary transition scenes interesting without changing the plot?

---I want to take part in promotions/giveaways that help build my email list and give me reviews, but I have my books in KDP select which means I'm not supposed to give away free books. Do I take my books out of KU? Thoughts on which one would be more beneficial? Is it just unheard of that new authors don't have their books in KDP select?

---How is a book description different from a blurb? I'm struggling with this because I feel like I just nailed the blurb, but now I need book descriptions for when I have my book in a promotion. I looked up the difference so I'm familiar with the definition of a book description, but are there tips for writing one to make it different from the blurb?

---Can you offer titles similar to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and TV shows similar to Nobody Wants This? The more, the merrier. I haven't laughed this much in years! Love it!

---Any tips on summarizing the passage of time in between conversations. I generally handle the passage of time by changing scenes, but in certain examples I would end up with rather small scenes. Situations I have run into in the past follow the pattern: start with a conversation, summarize a non-trivial activity that would take too long to relay in real time, then end with another conversation.

For more on the craft of writing or to get coaching, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/