Explore – Never open a book with the weather. Avoid...

1. Never open a book with the weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said.”
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. Same for places and things.
10. Leave out the parts readers tend to skip.

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, synthesized by Open Culture – a fine addition to our ongoing collection of writing advice and these timeless tips from history’s greatest writers.

via exp.lore.com