Apply Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules for Writers
I recently read about Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules for Writers. These rules can be applied to many types of writing, not just the hard-boiled crime novels for which Leonard was famous. Here they are, with some comments from my viewpoint as a public relations pro and freelance nonfiction writer:
Never open a book with the weather. (Generally solid advice for your nonprofit newsletter story or news release as well, unless you actually are writing about a snowstorm or a hurricane. Even then, be spare with the details as you set the scene. Readers want to read about people, not the elements.)
Avoid prologues. (They can be boring. Jump into the action and include the needed elements of the back story elsewhere.)
Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue. (“Yes!” she gasped. Keep it simple. Words other than “said” or “says” can be distracting.)
Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said.” (Banish phrases such as “He said wryly.” Again, keep it simple. Adverbs are unnecessary dressing.)
Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. (I agree! Wholeheartedly! You may need to judiciously use exclamation points a little more often in your writing, such as an email or a fundraising appeal letter, to sound friendly. But don’t overdo it! I mean it!)
Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose.” (Leonard suggests that those words can lead to profligate use of exclamation points. I suspect he is correct.)
Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. (Dialect is difficult to understand on the page. Even worse, it can come off as condescending if not written carefully and conscientiously.)
Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. (Or real people. Let the reader use their imagination.)
Don't go into great detail describing places and things. (Those details can drag down your writing and get in the way of the story you are trying to tell.)
Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. (Look at your writing with a critical eye. What parts would you skip if you hadn’t written the piece yourself? Excise those parts.)
Leonard also offers another rule that sums up the above 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
Of course, rules are made to broken. Break these rules if you can do so skillfully. In general, though, your writing will be easier to read if you follow Leonard’s advice.
This newspaper article delves into the rules with more depth.