"Shut UP!" He Explained: A Writer's Guide to the Uses and Misuses of Dialogue

by William Noble

Dialogue must contribute to the telling of the story said Victorian-era novelist Anthony Trollope more than one hundred years ago and his words have been a yardstick for writers ever since. A more recent novelist, Stephen King, wrote, "When dialogue is right, we know. When it's wrong we also know-it jags on the ear like a badly tuned musical instrument." In "Shut Up!" He Explained (the title comes from a Ring Lardner poke at the way some people overwrite), William Noble shows you how to write dialogue that sounds right and contributes. Fiction or Nonfiction With liberal use of anecdotes and examples, Noble develops six "Master Keys to Dialogue," each of which is crucial for the fiction or nonfiction writer to understand and use. You'll learn how to use dialogue to: create tension develop your characters establish setting move the plot create flashbacks and transitions You'll also learn when to use narrative instead of dialogue; how to write in dialect; and how to deal with interior monologue (your character's thoughts). And more! An important section of "Shut Up!" He Explained covers the misuse of dialogue from the legal viewpoint, exploring libel and right-to-privacy. Get a copy of "Shut Up! He Explained" an make your writing scintillate with captivating dialogue. "This is the best book that I could find on the use of dialog when writing fiction." -Amazon.com review

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Art, Reference

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[محمد فرد · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمی‌خوام خیلی دقیق کتاب رو بررسی کنیم.
صرفا اینکه به قول آقا مسعود یه سری کپسوله که به‌خاطر حاشیه نرفتن و حجم کم، می‌شه خیلی سریع رفت سمتش و یه چیزایی برداشت.
اما آیا کامله؟
قطعا نه. و اتفاقا خیلی هم ناقصه :))
ولی دوتا ویژگی مهم داره که اگه می‌خواید برید سمتش خوبه بدونید.
اول حاشیه نرفتن با خاطرات دوران کودکی و ... (شبیه کار سوره‌ی مهر)
دوم مثال‌های فوق‌العاهده‌اش.
راستش بار اول که خوندمش و الان تموم شد خلاصه‌نویسی کردم کار رو. ولی بار دوم قطعا خلاصه ها رو می‌ندازم دور و جاش مثال‌هایی که زده رو می‌نویسم روی برگه و به دیوار اتاق می‌زنم. واقعا بعضی مثال‌هاش رو می‌شه فقط خوند و سعی کرد تقلیدش کرد.

ایرادش هم اینه که خیلی تتیروار همه‌چی رو گفته و در هیچ موردی اونقدر که می‌شه، عمیق نشده.

کلا مفید بود.

[Don Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

When searching for books that will help with your writing skills, it may seem difficult to filter through to reach those that will give you the most bang for your money. William Noble's "'Shut Up!' He Explained" covers every category of dialogue that I could think of. This is a book that was printed years before the era of self-publishing and it is filled with suggestions and tips.

[Joseph Carrabis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed William Noble's Make That Scene on both Goodreads and in a bit more detail on my blog. That book was a gem, so I picked up Noble's Shut Up! He explained and settled in for some good learnings.

Truth is, I've read the book twice in two years and will easily read it twice if not thrice more in the next few years. It's that good.

Truly amusing to me is how little I retained from my first read. Of all that's in the book, I locked on the gem about having characters ask each other questions to keep dialogue interesting, engaging and moving. Probably because I was writing lots of dialogue for a work-in-progress, Ritchie and Phyl (A Celebration of Life). That wonderful piece of advice became my big hammer for several dialogues in several works-in-progress. It's an incredible tool all by itself and worth the price of admission.

But that, as noted, was what stuck with me from my first read. My second read had me dog-earing pages starting at 5 and several pages in each chapter thereafter.

For authors working on realistic, believable character exchanges - the book covers more than dialogue but dialogue is the main focus - it's a must.

I go into more detail on my blog.

[Hannibal · Rating 3 out of 5]

ویلیام نوبل در این کتاب روش صحیح گفتگونویسی را آموزش می دهد. هدف گیری این کتاب برای کسانی است که دغدغه داستان نویسی دارند، اما برای علاقه مندان به تئاتر و نیز فیلمنامه نویسی سینمایی قابل استفاده است. نویسنده با ذکر مثال های عملی، بعه زیبایی تفاوت گفتگوهای صحیح و ناصحیح را نشان می دهد و با توجه به تجربه و احاطه او بر سایر عوامل درام، در این راه موفق است.
عباس اکبری نیز که از مترجمان با سابقه این حوزه است ترجمه روان و زیبایی را به دست می دهد.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing guide to the do's and don'ts of writing dialogue. Good reference, but in my edition the sloppy layout, page design and typsetting crammed paragraphs and topics together in a way I found annoying and amateurish. For brand new writers, I'd recommend Lewis Turco's DIALOGUE over this. For more experienced writers Noble's book is better for looking up specific techniques and issues.

[Andrea James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy-to-read book with clear examples and good reminders about things that help to improve story-telling. The author gives light but useful analysis of the samples of dialogue included in the book and gives us some insight into what works or doesn't work in that exchange.

[Fateme Beygi · Rating 5 out of 5]

عالی ترین کتاب برای آموزش دیالوگ نویسی

[Jonty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book disappointing and superficial, lazily written with examples that didn't show the points the author was attempting to make. It was arduous and annoying to read. I skimmed through the massive chunk on libel which seemed to belong to another book entirely. Not recommended. There was nothing here that I will take to apply to my own work.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I found myself disagreeing with some of it though. I think it would be good for people who have no idea how to write dialogue, but if you're been doing it for a while with success, this book doesn't offer anything new.

[William Stadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Helps to cipher through good and bad dialogue.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful and surprisingly entertaining.

[Ginger Segreti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book if you are a new author or an experienced author looking to brush up dialogue skills.