Hunter Black Page 55 - Cards On The Table

Ah, dialogue. I still get all happy when I remember a former editor at DC telling me that my dialogue was one of my clear strengths; I've believed that I know what I'm doing ever since. (Not that my dialogue doesn't go through extensive rewriting. I almost always hate the first thing I come up with.)

This isn't the best example of my ability to give characters distinct voices, speaking styles, and cadences...but it'll do. Something as a simple as having the witch Setheen refer to herself in the third person immediately differentiates her from Hunter's more (hopefully) hardboiled way of delivering a line.

Recognize your strengths...and then nurture them. Don't coast, convinced of your own abilities. If anything, expect more from the things you're best at. Improve your best qualities as much as your weakest.