Betsy the Gremlin

Writing about writing to avoid writing her writing.

dialogue doctor

  • The Voice and Writing Spectacular – Your Fascinating Hollywood Signature

    Let’s talk voice. If you have been writing for any amount of time, and doing any amount of research the chances are high that you’ve come across the term, ‘voice’ or ‘voices’. There are lots of things about having a unique voice in the industry – the abstract ‘voice’ – and making sure your voice Read more

  • Kids Like Pizza: Writing Realistic Children!

    Let’s talk about the differences between writing children in screenplays and novels, versus writing adults! This post is part of the Dialogue Doctor Series, where I talk about writing effective dialogue! I wish I could say writing child characters was the same as writing adults but I’d be wrong. Further still, I wish I could Read more

  • How to write accents in your screenplay!

    Part of the Dialogue Doctor series! (Disclosure; some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you choose to purchase through them) The Dialogue Doctor is back after a long hiatus, mainly due to quarantine depression (because seriously, this situation is depressing…). Got a question about writing dialogue? I’m Read more

  • The Dialogue Doctor; Leave the Actors Alone

    (Betsy the Gremlin is a self-appointed Dialogue Doctor. Everyone says she’s good at writing dialogue and by gum she wants you to be good at it too!) Part One of Many; Leave the Actors Alone Something I am guilty of doing in my screenplays and have to actively fix in later drafts of work is Read more

  • Leave the actors alone! Writing scripts that actors love!

    Something I am guilty of doing in my screenplays and have to actively fix in later drafts of work is over-directing the actors. Adding too many ‘umm’s and notes. Not the worst no-no in screenwriting etiquette, but not a great look for anyone. It’s a habit that makes sense; you know how the scene is Read more