Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Good Writing

When The Christian Science Monitor recommends a book, I usually pay attention.  That’s especially true if it’s about writing or literature.  I consider the Monitor to be just about the last honest newspaper around.  For a publication that is managed by a religious organization they’re remarkable centrist, and the writing is always literate and readable.

I plan to buy this book and park it right next to Strunk and White.  I can tell from the review that I’m going to like it, and that I need it, too.

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.

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Good Writing | csmonitor.com