Chiarella looks so far down his nose you'd think he was Pinocchio. Some good ideas buried pretty deeply in the bloated monologue. I learned very little I didn't already learn from more general books on writing that had a single chapter on dialogue.The man curses some very four letter words and brags about how he did it as a kid. He says to listen to others for book ideas. He hasn't a clue about modern block-busters we want to write. I have about twenty books on writing, and no good one on dialog yet.The author is indeed high in his ivory tower looking down on his ignorant students. He is a teacher, not an author. He has written a book of short stories (no reprints is my guess) and several short stories for various magazines. Come on, this is the lowest rung of professional writers.Boo for Chiarella and Boo to Story Press.