This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Jeff Elkins, the Dialogue Doctor, talks about USING ENGINES, ANCHORS, AND HAZARDS TO DEFINE CHARACTER VOICE. He talks about how words like hero and villain, while useful for assessing plot, are less useful for assessing character development, or how the character operates in culture and how he or she negotiates the relationships with the people around them. We delve into examples, including BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY, LORD OF THE RINGS, HARRY POTTER, and GAME OF THRONES, to understand how the characters surrounding the protagonist, or vehicle character, function as engines, anchors, or hazards to bring out the best or worst in that vehicle character.
For a transcript of this interview and links to more information, go to https://www.theindyauthor.com/podcast.html.
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Jeff Elkins is a novelist, ghostwriter, and editor with more than 10 novels on the market. During the day, he leads the writing team for a company that simulates difficult conversations for professionals to practice. He also helps authors improve their dialogue to engage readers more fully through one-on-one consulting and through his podcast The Dialogue Doctor.