Dialogue in Novels – Does it dilute or embellish?

dialogue in novels

Opinions abound when it comes to dialogue in novels. What makes for good dialogue? Can you have too much. Isn’t dialogue just another form of telling? Because my novel, Outside These Walls is around 50% dialogue, I thought I would offer another on the subject. Before writing this post, I took the time to do […]

Outside These Walls – How it earned its name

Outside These Walls title

Behind the curtain of Outside These Walls SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read Outside These Walls, you may not want to read further. It wasn’t until I tried writing a synopsis that I came up with my title. And how is that you may ask? Because it took several attempts at it as well as […]

Outside These Walls – The setting

Outside These Walls setting

Both predecessors to Outside These Walls were set in St. George, Utah—sort of. That is where Kate and Pete lived at the time. However, they soon take off on a trip, first heading to Monterey, California, then later, taking a detour to San Diego which is where they both grew up. In case you haven’t […]

Outside These Walls – The Backstory

Outside these walls backstory

Is there anything you really despise? You know, that thing or food you avoid like the plague? When it came to writing, many, many years ago, that was me. I hated it. Reports weren’t too bad as long as it wasn’t a book report. Death was a better option. Then there was the dreaded short […]

Outside These Walls

An isolated boy. His loving but meddlesome mother. An astonishing journey into inexpressible unity. Jason Anderson keeps his private life locked away from prying eyes. Socially awkward and deeply introverted, the seventeen-year-old high schooler avoids relationships with his peers at all costs. But acquiescing to a pair of beautiful classmates for a ride leads to […]