Uploads from Abbie Emmons

Currently Playing: How to Write Dialogue That Actually Moves the Plot

Is your dialogue moving the plot forward? Or is it just filling empty space while your characters move from point A to point B? In this video, we're breaking down how to write dialogue that forces a decision, cracks open a secret, or raises the stakes — while the action keeps moving right alongside it. I'm building a real scene from scratch, two different ways, so you can see exactly what "dialogue that goes nowhere" looks like next to dialogue that earns its place. Standard covered: RL.8.3 Analyzing Dialogue and Incidents: How Events Provoke a Character to Make a Decision 📝 Grab the FREE printable Dialogue Practice Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JmzuyZXVppDv8XfwRt3kVuIuMUy2H0an/view?usp=sharing If your characters keep saying exactly what they mean and it feels too on-the-nose, check out my video on subtext: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyKFeRyyT48&t=1s 🏛️JOIN ABBIE’S STORY UNIVERSITY: https://abbiesstoryuniversity.com/ ________________________________ ✨TIMESTAMPS✨ 00:00 Writing dialogue that forces a decision 02:34 How do you know if your dialogue matters? 03:31 How does dialogue actually move the plot? 04:44 The Bookend Method 07:32 The mistake: rehashing 09:21 Side by side example 09:53 Hamster Wheel Version 12:01 Moving Forward Version 14:40 Ask yourself these questions 15:24 Lesson recap 16:07 Continue learning in Story University! ________________________________ *My NEW book, Make Your Story Matter, is now available!* 👉 https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/make-your-story-matter ✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨ ❤️GET BONUS CONTENT + SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons 📚READ MY BOOKS: https://amzn.to/3Ivk0Gr 🖥️TAKE MY SCRIVENER MASTERCLASS: https://makeyourstorymatter.teachable.com/p/teachmescrivener ✏️TAKE MY EDITING MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/edit-your-book-like-a-pro 💬TAKE MY BOOK BLURB MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/how-to-craft-a-bestseller-book-blurb 📓GET MY FREE WRITING TEMPLATES: https://abbieemmons.ck.page/make-your-story-matter 💵GET 20% OFF SCRIVENER - USE CODE "ABBIE" → https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener-affiliate.html?fpr=abbie26 🎤LISTEN TO MY PODCAST WITH MY SISTER: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kate-and-abbie-show 🎥 MY GEAR + WRITING TOOLS: https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/my-gear 🎵 I GET ALL MY MUSIC FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND… CLAIM YOUR 60-DAY FREE TRIAL HERE: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/v02bl3/ ✨F O L L O W ✨ blog: https://bit.ly/2Kl21m8 facebook: https://bit.ly/2FS2Ikh instagram: http://bit.ly/2Xr5hUI tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeyourstorymatter x/twitter: https://x.com/abbieemmonsx patreon: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons Business inquiries: abbie@abbieemmonsauthor.com Questions and support: help@abbieemmonsauthor.com ✨ A B O U T ✨ My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the psychology of storytelling and transform their ideas into a masterpiece. Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!