World Famous Comics: Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing
Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing
By: Elmore Leonard Publisher: William Morrow Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: William Morrow Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 96 Publication Date: November 01, 2007 Release Date: October 30, 2007
"These are the rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what's taking place in the story."--Elmore Leonard
For aspiring writers and lovers of the written word, this concise guide breaks down the writing process with simplicity and clarity. From adjectives and exclamation points to dialect and hoopetedoodle, Elmore Leonard explains what to avoid, what to aspire to, and what to do when it sounds like "writing" (rewrite).
Beautifully designed, filled with free-flowing, elegant illustrations and specially priced, Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing is the perfect writer's--and reader's--gift.
Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing Don't waste your money. Amazon should have a no-star rating for books like this. Sad.
Elmore Leonard, 10 rules of writing When I found out my long time favourite pulp writer Elmore Leonard had written about writing, it did not take a lot of thinking before I ordered the book. A writer of journalistic texts myself, I always try to pick up what masters like Leonard have to say on the subject. Leonards views are similar to what i already adapted,but some knew stuff were found to. And the layout is really nice, just as the illustrations. Leonards rules are the best you can get, and he has adapted them on this text too, which makes it short and effective. Maybe a bit too effective. It doesn't take more than half an hour to read through the book. But on the other hand, that is part of his message. Take away everything unnecessary.
Great advice if you want to write like Elmore Leonard First of all, as so many other reviewers have said, you'd be better off reading this in the bookstore. It can be done in less than ten minutes. But aside from the fact that this book is a bag of potato chips with an awful lot of air pumped into it, the advice contained within seems to be of very limited applicability. It's great if you want to write like Elmore Leonard, but it takes approximately thirty seconds of reflection to realize that a whole slew of great writers - many of them in fact much better writers than Mr. Leonard - routinely break some or all of the rules in this book. But if you want to write a plot-driven thriller, he's pretty much on the money. I don't mean to disparage Elmore Leonard - he's very good at what he does - but I find his books a bit disposeable, like a movie that's not worth watching more than once.
Good gift item for the would-be writer in your life This is a book version of Leonard's famous rules. The rules are accessible anywhere on the internet, so it's not so much a book to buy for oneself. but it's a great gift for the would-be writer in your life. Especially one who's inclined to use "suddenly," too often, if at all.
"Buddy, can ya spare 10 minutes of yer time?" The other reviewers here have said all there is to say, over and over, about how little in the way of "insider's tips about writing" Elmore Leonard imparts in this very short book (89 mostly blank pages). At least Leonard takes his own advice seriously: Rule #10 - "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip." I will just add my two cents worth (or maybe only one cent) to the discussion by saying, in my opinion, Leonard's "rules" may be somewhat helpful to aspiring writers. Read his advice and take what you want, or not. There are other authors out there who go deeper into the craft of writing, e.g., Stephen King in ON WRITING, Patrick McManus in THE DEER ON A BICYCLE, Robert Newton Peck in SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL FICTION, Janet Evanovich in WHY I WRITE, et al. I do have to agree with others here that this is a very pricey little book. Of course, you can save your money and check it out for free from your local public library. So, if you get absolutely nothing from the book, at least enjoy the humorous pen and ink drawings between each of the "10 Rules." Probably too much said.
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