Includes bibliographical references (p. 264-267) and index.

Show and tell -- Characterization and exposition -- Point of view -- Proportion -- Dialogue mechanics -- See how it sounds -- Interior monologue -- Easy beats -- Breaking up is easy to do -- Once is usually enough -- Sophistication -- Voice.

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories. In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited. -- Back cover