Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules for Writing
1 Never open a book with weather.
2 Avoid prologues: they can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword.
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.
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, unless you're Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language.
10 Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
Break all of these rules in one hundred words or less. Respond!
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