One of the games we play at our annual Summer Drama Camp is a name game that includes everyone saying their name and what superpower they have. It is a way to help the campers get acquainted, but it also invites them to start thinking about tapping into their imagination for understanding the creative side of what we are doing at camp. Sure we have fun, but that is only a small part of a drama camp. What I have found very interesting when we play that game, is that the kids rarely say they can fly like Superman or climb up the sides of buildings like Spiderman, or run with the blinding speed of Wonder Woman . Often they share things like; "I can remember things." "I can sing very high notes." "I am good at drawing." "I can make my dog sit." That last one is good if we need someone to corral an unruly child. This camp, which I started 15 years ago with a handful of campers and two other adult volunteers, has evolved into a major event...

Over the years of writing stage plays and film scripts, as well as playing on stage, I have learned quite a bit about writing dialogue, and "these are a few of my favorite things": Don't include all the "polite speak" - Thank you, You're welcome   Don't tell an actor how to speak - politely, angrily, sarcastically  Pay attention to the rhythm of the words  - make sure the line can be easily delivered Use dialogue to propel the story - each line needs to have a purpose When I start editing for a client, I can usually tell if this is a first book by the sometimes clunky dialogue, including all the "polite speak" as well as repeating names: "Hi, Tom, this is Scott." "Hello, Scott. How are you?" "I'm fine, Tom, how about you." Those are extreme examples, but I have actually seen dialogue close to that, and that does nothing to move the story along or reveal character, or do more than simply take up ...