Elmore Leonard's 10 Writing Tips

10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip: A rule that came to mind in 1983. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. I’ll bet you don’t skip dialogue.

(via Kottke)


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One response to “Elmore Leonard's 10 Writing Tips”

  1. hw Avatar
    hw

    Yes, the secret is out – the way I read 60-80 pages an hour is by skipping the big, long expositional paragraphs. Who cares what the sunset looked like?

    No wonder I don’t remember the contents or titles of the books I read. Or the authors. . . I do remember the ideas behind the books, though. As my favorite memory man would say, “One True is Coming, Baby!” – Let Override, Let Overwrite

    COMMENT:
    Yeah, the best part is talking to her later about a book. To say that you have to “fill in the holes” for her takes on a whole new meaning. It’s a major construction job!

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