Romantic-suspense author and developmental editor, Sandy Vaile, shows us how to make our fictional conversations clear with punctuation.

Dialogue lets readers to get to know characters without information dumping. Sandy Vaile shares how to write concise conversations that ring true.

Don't freeze at the sight of your blank page. Lori Freeland shares tips on how to piece together the perfect scene like she learned to create a painting.

by Becca Puglisi I’ve been thinking a lot about dialogue lately, because when it’s done poorly, it pulls me right out of the story. There are a lot of issues that contribute to weak dialogue: incorrect mechanics, stilted speech, characters calling each other repeatedly by name (Hi, Bob. Hey, Mary. Could you help me with […]

Amy Poeppel My first real job after graduating from college was working as an actress. I spent about five years performing in plays, shooting commercials, and acting in probably the worst episode ever made of America’s Most Wanted. I learned the ins and outs of union affiliation, auditioned for all kinds of roles, and developed […]