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“Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing
1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.
5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.
6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10.
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”
―
1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.
5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.
6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10.
If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”
―
“I want you people to get mad—You don’t have to organize or vote for reformers—You just have to get mad—”
― Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies
― Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies
Rodrigo’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Rodrigo’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
46 books
|
3,941 friends
659 books
|
109 friends
181 books
|
100 friends
393 books
|
208 friends
304 books
|
335 friends
164 books
|
70 friends
949 books
|
22 friends
183 books
|
133 friends
More friends…
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