Feels like I met him in an alley with a suitcase of cash and hes whispering these secrets before the rain let's out

1. Cut dialogue to the bone. 2. Use dialogue to reveal backstory. 3. Use dialogue to reveal character. 4. Be subtle. (subtext, sidestepping, silence) 5. Read your dialogue aloud. 6. Create a 'Make My Day' moment.

As a working author, take my advice. Watch this twice and take notes.

Dude, you are a godsend. It's rare that someone with this kind of experience puts up this kind of content, for free, and a platform like KZfaq. Usually, it's some sponsored website requiring a membership or monthly fee or something. Mr Jenkins, I want you to know that this stuff _is_ amazing and helpful and beyond appreciated. It is exactly what people like me have been looking for. Please, please, _please,_ keep uploading and sharing as much knowledge as possible.

Eighteen minutes without an "Erm" or "Ah." Very professional!

This guy teaches like he's got a gun to his head. I love it

I’ve wasted tons of time in authortube videos, just to find all and more advice in this single one.Thank you Mr.Jenkins

As an aspiring writer, dialogue is one of the most challenging things for me to write. Thank you for this.

This channel is a goldmine

People who sit down and make videos like this are genuinely creating the next great generation of authors. Thank you for sharing your insight on this topic.

6 keys to writing riveting dialogue 🙂 1.Cut writing to bones-Get to the good stuff 2.Use it to reveal backstory but don’t info dump (have the characters reveal a little bit at a time) 3.Use dialogue to reveal character (show not tell) 4. Be subtle A) use subtext B) use sidestepping C) use Silence 5) Read your dialogue aloud 6) create ‘Make My Day’ moment How to format Use he said or she said - don’t use creative way to say it don’t wheeze snort or grunt replied retorted declared are not needed Don’t have characters use each other’s name Too much Don’t put said in the beginning of sentence Resist urge to explain Cardinal sin of dialogue- Avoid on the nose dialogue Don’t use prose that mirrors real life

As well as info dumps at the beginning, I sometimes see villains infodumping at the end, as if someone in real life would reveal their whole plan to someone they're opposed to XD It's a stupid move and it ruins villains! Villains should be intelligent, and being cocky isn't smart.

I feel like my words from tomorrow will be leaps and bounds better than my words from yesterday because of this video.

“Dialogue tags such as, reply, exclaim, retort, remark are archaic and over done” Hmmm interesting *proceeds to change out roughly 75% of all my dialogue tags

The best dialogue ever was any time Anakin is confessing his love to Padme. "I hate sand"

The silence thing is soo true. I always find myself writing "he didn,t say anything",or "he didn,t respond." Maybe "he simply stared at her" is better?

Okay, I just now found this guy's channel and I'm already amazed. No lame gimmicks, no flashy nonsense. Just the guy sharing his expertise for free. As an aspiring writer, you have my gratitude Mr. Jenkins.

I'm an aspiring writer. It's my first time writing my own story and writing my characters' dialogue is my biggest problem !!!! Thank you so much !!!! 😭😭😭

Writing a dialogue is to a writer what drawing hands is to an artist: so easy to mess up. Thank you, Mr. Jenkins!

Man this "show, not tell" is really everywhere and I LOVE IT

Woah, now the dialogue I wrote yesterday sounds REALLY bland and boring. I'm definitly going to edit it, thank you!

"Hey, Boo." Comes to mind as a small, quotable phrase that said it all. Allllll the book lead up to that moment when she saw her mystery man. All she said was that little line. I loved that.

I have my first book to rewrite...I"ve put it off for several years because I knew I made all these mistakes. Thank you so much!

Put yourself in the situation, say the words out loud. If it feels like something someone would say, put it down. If not, alter it. Remember that character's aren't talking to the audience, they're speaking to each other, and often the most dire, important things are left unsaid. Change words according to your character's accent, and bingo, bango, bongo!

okay so i just realized my wattpad book was written in all the wrong ways 💀💀

13:50 "I once wrote an entire novel, _The Last Operative,_ without attributing a single line of dialogue." I bought the Kindle edition after watching this video a few months ago. The book was excellent, as I expected, and not once was I lost in dialogue. I learned much from reading that book, gaining insights on how to attribute dialogue without _attributing_ dialogue. Today, I came back for a refresher. There is more sound advice in this short video than in some entire books on dialogue.

Just leaving this here for myself and others. 1:58 Key 1 Cut dialogue to the bone 3:01 Key 2 Use dialogue to reveal backstory 5:06 Key 3 Use dialogue to reveal character 6:17 Key 4 Be subtle 6:33 Key 4 Be subtle(Subtext) 7:29 Key 4 Be subtle(Sidestepping) 9:13 Key 4 Be subtle(Silence) 10:19 Key 5 Read your dialogue aloud 11:26 Key 6 Create a ‘make my day’ moment 12:12 Miscellaneous problems

"Uh...wow," typed J upon his phone keyboard appreciatively. Yet, deep down J knew that he hadn't fully aborbed what the guy with glasses had spoken to J. J knew that he would probably continue to write sub-par dialogue and narrative for the stories he penned. Then, almost automatically, J moved the picture of the video to the bottom of his screen and used his thumb the scroll through other writing advice videos, that J would continue to ignore.

As a Finnish, I perfectly understand the silent dialogue. 😁

A friend of mine sent this to me over discord. Thankfully, I've already applied a good chunk of these into the way I write. But there's always room for improvement.

I'm actually starting to write because of this video years ago.

If you want to understand dialogue, you can do worse than study the best screen-writers. And something they often use which you can add to the Jerry's seven keys is the cut away. The best screen writers often cut away from a scene before the end, leaving the remainder to the imagination. And imagination is often much more powerful than anything you could write explicitly.

I've never written anything before, and I've only had a fleeting interest in writing anything. I've looked up a few tips on writing and what pitfalls to avoid, and I have to say that your videos are a cut above everything else. You have very high quality videos, and your explanations are really easy to follow.

Thank you Sir. I can't believe I was already doing some of this unconsciously. It's a relief to know that I'm on the right track. Looking forward to learning more from you.

15:38 But Jerry, you do give us that Yodaesque wisdom. And I am very very grateful that you do.

Thank you so much for the most organized, “to the bone”, clear, and actionable advice on writing ever! 👏🙏👍

I m writing comics. And I have been working on my dialogue for some time, cuz I know that it's my weakness. Thank you for sharing this. You earned a like and subscribe

As an educator I always tell my students to write with clarity. Your videos are always clear and your tone is calming which allows your listeners to learn these most helpful skills. Thank you!

I have had a hard time understanding the concept of "showing not telling" and I think after all these years this guy finally SHOWED how it's done...

I love reading books but never knew the amount of effort and planning that needs to be done by the writer.

Oh dear Jerry Sir. Where were you these days? I published a short story in Tamil language only with the help of your tips. Thank you so much. A lot love from India❤️😍🥰😘

Great information! You sent me racing back to my story, reanalyzing all the "he didn't respond" statements that I now know are mistakes! :P

this is by far the best video i’ve seen on here about writing. so many ppl make youtube channels and repeat the same points and u can tell they don’t even know what they’re talking about. its usually young ppl who could take another 10 to 20 years cutting their teethe before they try to start teaching ppl… it’s refreshing to see someone actually giving good examples. thank u jerry.

This video is so good. This guy truly knows what he's talking about and was able to convey it so precisely without any lack of understanding from the viewer.

I'm writing a novel as a little passion project (so I'm an amateur). This is invaluable advice. Definitely subscribed.

I finished watching Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. And it was absolutely beautiful. The dialogue was amazing! I love all of this advice.

I have a really good story that I’ve been pondering and jotting notes for a couple years. But I’m not a writer. However, since this story has stuck with me so long, I now feel obligated to write it. Consuming videos like this is my sheepish attempt at doing it justice.

Spot on. I see it all the time. TMI. I call it stage directions. It where dialog directs characters from an external viewpoint rather than from the character's viewpoint.

I am a frustrated writer for years, and all the "amateur" stuff hits me hard. thank you for the tips!

Wow. My first time here. Mr Jenkins dropping gold. And he speaks so well too. I've made the mistake with on the nose dialogue a lot too.

You just flipped everything I thought I knew upside down and I'm not sure how to feel. I've always thought of myself as being a very good descriptive writer. Setting the scene, including the details that really make them feel like they are there. Like you said, it's what I was taught. I'm stating to take writing seriously as everyone tells me over and over that I need to be writer. I came across this actually looking for proper punctuation in dialog as it's been many years since I've really used it much. I'm kinda sad that one of my perceived strengths is now a liability. Seems like the books I loved when I was younger were very descriptive. Even though I read Fantasy novels of all sorts, not best sellers. I thank you for your insight and influence. I hope I can adapt and grow from it.

Needed this SO badly. I was quite foggy on the rules of writing good dialogue, but after watching this I feel much more confident in myself to create it well.

Hi, Jerry, "It was, "Go ahead punk. Make my day." Thanks for your great tips, Jerry, Sir.

He's teaching us without breaking eye contact. I think I didn't blink the whole time. And I didn't even notice that it is raining outside. Gonna watch this all over again.

Writing dialogue is like building a house. If you only build the exterior and no internal support, the house would collapse in itself. What characters say are driven by their personality which therefore makes the dialogue. So to make interesting dialogue, you need interesting characters, basically, it's all about characterization.

60 years old, loads of half finished stuff, you may have inspired me to move on again. Thx.

This guy is a great writing coach. His hints remind me of a book we had over 40 years ago in English class, The Lively Art Of Writing by Lucile Vaughn Payne. I still refer to it and it’s still in print.

So, I listened to your lesson on dialog, and see where I need to really tighten mine up in my current project. Thank you for your tutorial. The day after watching it, my husband and I had a conversation, and it really hit me that it was following your tutorial. We referenced the past, but didn't go into detail because we already knew it collectively. Just like the example you gave where the woman didn't want to talk about the accident, "Let's just not talk about it..." etc. Wow, thank you, Mr. Jenkins!

This is a solid point. We all know what a phone call sounds like, whereas i just want to know what the call was about...such an innocent mistake, but I've seen it as well and we don't need a play by play on something we are undoubtedly familiar with.

I’m reminded of an old quote: “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” It’s the way this video just popped up on my YT Home Screen. I know algorithms are involved but still - the timing was uncanny. I’ve been writing as a hobby with no real organization or formal structure. I had recently decided to get more serious about it; so when this video showed up I was immediately drawn in. When Mr. Jenkins gave an example mentioning the City of Cincinnati , I almost jumped up to look for hidden cameras as if the video might be an elaborate prank. Three guesses what City I call home! I looked up Mr. Jenkins’ basic biography. He wasn’t born in Cincinnati. I see no obvious connection so I’m not sure why he chose my City for his example…but it felt like a sign that I am supposed to pursue this using the guidance and information he’s providing here and in others of his videos. I have found the videos of his that I’ve watched so far will be wonderful resources. I’m really getting excited about writing with a different goal than before. I know it will be worthwhile to develop my craft. Thank you so much for putting me on the path!

This is invaluable for someone honing their dialogue. Thankyou Jerry.

Yo jerry, I'm just a novice/noob/beginner writer and I'd like to thank you for this nice video. It's a nice mental break.

This man's advice and lessons are blessings to literature..

I write screenplays and writing dialogue is my biggest weakness. But in saying that it's better than when I first started out. I certainly could still learn to master it.

I was told that good dialogue are words used as tools by a character to achieve an un-stated goal. True sub-text comes from what the character's ulterior motive is behind the words.

Jerry has really helped me as a budding writer

You can only imagine how helpful this is you cannot understand completely or rather let me say I cannot completely explain how grateful I am thanks so much for blessing us with your knowledge.

I agree with you. The books I have enjoyed the most, held little description, and a lot of dialogue. Straightforward dialogue though. To the point. When I get in one of my philosophical rants though, now that is entirely different story. That is not meant for a book, and it is meant for the reader to think about what I am saying. I believe when I do write a philosophical memoir of some sorts, it will not read like a story, thus any person who comes with that attitude to my door, I will show them the birds and bees outside and tell them to go study them. They may not enter- at all!

This is by far, one of the most straight forward and informative explanations on effective dialogue I have seen! Thank you Mr. Jenkins. A deep well.

Words aren't enough to express my gratitude to you, Mr. Jenkins. It really is an honor to learn from an experienced and successful author such as yourself. Regardless of how good the plot may be, dialogue has always troubled me. But your words of wisdom have undeniably helped me. Thank you, sir. ❤

"Use Dialog to Characters Backstory" That is, what I would do, so it seems the right way in the First Place! Very Good! 👍

I've been running table top role playing games for 30 years. I've told so many stories but now feel the need to write them down.

Thank you. I watched with skepticism but I learned much from this.

Thank you. I place these golden nuggets in a very sacred space in my mental workshop. They shine light on the darker spots of my writing.

Wow! I learned more in this 19:00 video than I did in 2 Udemy and a Masterclass course! You are the best! Thank you!!!

This is great. I struggle with dialogue, and more a teller than a shower and find myself having to go back and revise to show more than tell.

This is so good. Thank you for this.

Jerry, this is awesome advice. Dialogue is my pet peeve, can't get a handle on it. I'm hoping that I can put this into practice and better execute dialogue in my writing. Thanks, man!

This guy! No wonder he is a best selling author. The way he speaks just makes you sit and listen more and more. Thank you sir.

Endless dialogue: The gunfight at the Ok Corral was about to ensue; beads of sweat trickled down Jesse's face, not only because of the high noon sun that beat down but the anticipation of fighting the most feared gun in Texas, Rater! While loading his revolver Jesse took extra care to blow the dust out of the cylinder and barrel lest he become like his buddy who got involved in a gunfight a few years back, didn't clean his revolver causing it to backfire thus shooting his eye out like, Ralphie from 'A Christmas Story.' - 🤔 It definitely needs work. 📚 Thank you for the tips, Mr.Jenkins.

I love this guy! He's willing to share his knowledge and writing wisdom. He's blessed for sure 🙏

Jerry thank you for sharing your years of experience with us. :)

Slurp clapped his hands: - Wow!

Man writing is so hard but when you get it right it feels so good

Wow! This video is fantastic! I love all of your videos, so informative! Thank you Jerry😊

Thank you, Jerry, this is one of the things I'm struggling with and your advice has really helped.

Touching on the make my day part of the video I realized just how memorable many of Bungie Halo's dialogue are. -"Oh I know what the ladies like" -"To give the covenant back their bomb" -"Shipmaster they outnumber us 3 - 1!", "then it is an even fight." -"Listen, Reach has been good to me. Time has come to return the favor. Don't deny me this" and lastly my personal favorite: -"We can get past it sir!" "No you can't, not without help" "Commander you don't have the firepower!" "I've got the mass" "..Solid copy, hit em hard boss" "You're on your own Noble, Carter out"

I heard someone give advice once which helped me a lot. You know when you have an argument with someone, and after the fact you think of everything you should have said? That revised dialogue that you wish you said, is the speech that you want your characters to speak in.

Hi, Jerry - I just want to say how much I appreciate you and your willingness to instruct, teach and share what you know about writing. It is so helpful and I appreciate the lack of 'language' in your videos. You're able to get the message across without the profanity. Thank you, Sir! :)

Thanks forr sharing such useful tips, Mr. Jenkins! I'd like to start writing a novel, so your channel is gold! One step at a time.

."Dig deep...mine your emotions in your mind , in your heart and in your soul...take the reader with you." I get it. it's like I learned in theater. When learning script,, we are told get get in touch with the character, allow the words on the page permeate you and allow the emotions of the words come through Being a good writer requires you to feel the words, as you said, mine your emotions. Thanks you Jerry - this was an a-ha moment.

by far the most helpful video on writing dialogue I've watched so far

Excellent video! I struggle a lot, especially being someone with autism, to hit that balance between believable dialogue and book dialogue, so i'm also a little happy that some of these tips already align, means i must be doing at least something right. I found the reminder that dialogue isn't supposed to be actual dialogue, but a representation of actual dialogue, especially useful to how to approach finding that balance. :D

Going back to the point of make it how they would talk in reality; could you have the example of good dialogue that you gave and then, in the next non-dialogue paragraph, describe the fact that a drunk driver nearly killed her?

I didn’t expect this video to be so helpful, but it really made me realize some things I was doing wrong

Great video! Very informative!

Thank you Jerry. I've learned so much with your lessons. English is my second language, but I cannot imagine not writing in that language as I did 90 % of my education here in USA. Thank you so much. Descriptive elements and dialogue is one of my challenges. I appreciate this video so much. Gracias mil !!!!!

Thank you for this upload! It’s truly so inspiring ❤️

15:17 That was simply delightful.

Some really great advice. I have the habit of trying to replace the word said too much because it was always encouraged by teachers back in my school days.