An editor considers dialogue

One of the most effective tools a writer has at her disposal is sharp, natural dialogue, conversation which flows as freely as the spoken word. All too often, a writer feels the necessity to describe either who is speaking, or how they speak, rather than allow the tension of the moment, and the character development up to that point, to work for them. Consider the following: Aunt Lily smiled and poured the tea. “What’s your…

Day in the Life of an Editor

From the Desk of Robert Runté, Senior Editor: So…my 11 year-old is having trouble getting to sleep one night, so I offer to sit with her until she is asleep. I bring my computer so I won’t be bored and so she can’t talk to me when she should be trying to get to sleep. And I’m doing my email, because that’s the sort of not-having-to-concentrate work you do when you’re in a dark room…