I think I see how you’re interpreting the sentence.
Imagine instead the word “and” in place of the comma before “developing”.
The letter writers wants the author to be “dramatising (their events) AND developing scenes in which the reader…”
Imagine instead the word “and” in place of the comma before “developing”.
The letter writers wants the author to be “dramatising (their events) AND developing scenes in which the reader…”
To see the context, I think I'd have to visit the "Random House archives at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library", though they do have a website: https://library.columbia.edu/libraries/rbml.html
describe people and events from a distance instead of (dramatizing them, developing scenes in which the reader discovers what kind of people they are) instead of being told.