Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing

I found this on Pinterest. Very good stuff.

1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialog.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said,” such as “he admonished gravely.”
5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
6. Never use “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”
7. Use regional dialect sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.