This is something that I am as guilty of as anybody else but it never ceases to amaze me how phonophobic our field can be sometimes. We writers often dread actually speaking with our editors, mostly like because we worry that we're going to be intruding or get yelled at (note: the Zulkey definition of "yell at" involves anything from mild critique to actual yelling) for some shortcoming we just figured the editor was too busy to tell us about via email.

Yet as I look at the boards here and on other sites, a common question is "I haven't heard from the editor/he won't return my emails/I keep bugging him."

Pick up the phone! Getting your editor on the horn demands immediate attention, plus an actual voice to the name is a lot more personal than words on the screen. The editor indeed might be too busy to deal with you but actually hearing from you intead of sending an email that gets lost in the shuffle is more effective. So don't be afraid. Let your fingers do the walking, er, dialing.