Don't worry about drying your slants. You're just risking infection. My slants have some liquid condensate but it doesn't interfere with yeast growth. After inoculation of a slant you should replace the cap but do not tighten to seal. Let incubate for 3-5 days at ~80F until satisfactory...
I'm the owner of the flickr stream cited above.
Here's another link that highlights the yeasty beasties: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=27291052%40N00&q=yeast+culture&m=text
If anyone has any specific questions, let me know.