Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Audio: Elmore Interview about “Rules”
The Christian Science Monitor
Monitor Book Editor Kendra Nordin talks with author Elmore Leonard about his new book, ‘10 Rules of Writing’. Listen here.
ELMORE LEONARD’S 10 RULES OF GOOD WRITING
Leave out adverbs, skip description, and keep the writer out of sight.
By Elizabeth A. Brown
When my teenage son picked up Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Good Writing, it fell open to Rule 3: “Never use a verb other than ‘said’ to carry dialogue.”
“I wish my teachers could read this,” my son said. “They tell us not to use ‘said.’ They think other words make us sound better, like we have a bigger vocabulary.”
Which is precisely Elmore Leonard’s point: Good writing is not about the writer (and the way he sounds or the size of her vocabulary), but about the story.
The writer must remain invisible.
