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Elmore Leonard- for those of you who don't know-
Was arguably the greatest Crime Novelist of the 20th century.
Author of dozens of great books
A True prose stylist.
And he boil all of his technique down into 10 simple rules.
We'll look at each in turn, beginning with...
Was arguably the greatest Crime Novelist of the 20th century.
Author of dozens of great books
A True prose stylist.
And he boil all of his technique down into 10 simple rules.
We'll look at each in turn, beginning with...
๐. ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฐ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ.
Readers are interested in *people* not things.
Unless the opening is a character *reacting* to weather, the reader will skip ahead looking for characters.
It's as simple as that...
Readers are interested in *people* not things.
Unless the opening is a character *reacting* to weather, the reader will skip ahead looking for characters.
It's as simple as that...
๐. ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ.
Similar principle as above. Cut right to a character doing something.
Prologues almost always serve as a throat-clearing and can be done without.
Or they mean that the plot you have outlined is too convoluted.
Cut it and see what happens.
Similar principle as above. Cut right to a character doing something.
Prologues almost always serve as a throat-clearing and can be done without.
Or they mean that the plot you have outlined is too convoluted.
Cut it and see what happens.
๐. ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง "๐ฌ๐๐ข๐" ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐.
'Said' is far less intrusive and distracting than 'grumbled' 'yelled' 'lied' etc.
The reader should be able to infer the tone of the speech by the dialogue and characters actions
'Said' is far less intrusive and distracting than 'grumbled' 'yelled' 'lied' etc.
The reader should be able to infer the tone of the speech by the dialogue and characters actions
The fun of reading is creating the world of the book in your imagination
This is the whole concept behind 'show, don't tell'
Don't do all of the work for the reader by telling them what to think.
It will intuitively repel them.
This is the whole concept behind 'show, don't tell'
Don't do all of the work for the reader by telling them what to think.
It will intuitively repel them.
๐. ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ "๐ฌ๐๐ข๐"โฆ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ
Adverbs should almost always be avoided because they distract the reader and disrupt the rhythm of the dialogue exchange
Always keep the prose flowing
Adverbs should almost always be avoided because they distract the reader and disrupt the rhythm of the dialogue exchange
Always keep the prose flowing
๐. ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ง๐จ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐,๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐.
Nothing further to add. Says it all.
Nothing further to add. Says it all.
๐. ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ "๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ" ๐จ๐ซ "๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐."
Such cliches show a lack of discipline.
Personally a 'all hell broke loose' would make me lose all trust in the writers competence.
Such cliches show a lack of discipline.
Personally a 'all hell broke loose' would make me lose all trust in the writers competence.
๐. ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ, ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ข๐ฌ, ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ.
Dialect can be used to great effect, but it is really easy to get carried away with it.
Which will- you guessed it- pull the reader out of the story.
Dialect can be used to great effect, but it is really easy to get carried away with it.
Which will- you guessed it- pull the reader out of the story.
๐. ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ.
As we discussed in rule 3- the idea is to let the reader use their imagination.
Let the reader fill in the gaps.
Too much description stifles them.
As we discussed in rule 3- the idea is to let the reader use their imagination.
Let the reader fill in the gaps.
Too much description stifles them.
๐. ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ
Description brings action & flow to a standstill
Unless for a specific and purposeful dramatic effect, this is *not* what you want to do
Flowery description is egotistical
Description brings action & flow to a standstill
Unless for a specific and purposeful dramatic effect, this is *not* what you want to do
Flowery description is egotistical
๐๐. ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ฉ.
This sums up all of the above.
This is the takeaway.
Leave your ego and need to show how clever you are and stick to clean rhythmic prose.
Respect the readers time.
\\Fin/
This sums up all of the above.
This is the takeaway.
Leave your ego and need to show how clever you are and stick to clean rhythmic prose.
Respect the readers time.
\\Fin/
