The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. . . . Unwillingness to revise usually signals an amateur.
Sol SteinTo create tension, dialogue needs to be stretched out. That is, characters should not be immediately responsive.
Sol SteinOur instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to ease tension. As writers our job is the opposite, to create tension and not dispel it immediately.
Sol Stein