Elmore Leonard Quotes

62 quotes in 707 categories

• If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can't allow what…
• Never use an adverb to modify the verb 'said' . . . he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way)…
• At the time I begin writing a novel, the last thing I want to do is follow a plot outline. To know too much at…
• I don’t think writers compete, I think they’re all doing separate things in their own style.
• Avoid Prologues. They can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword.
• I won't read a book that starts with a description of the weather. I don't read books over 300 pages, though I'll make an exception…
• My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
• What do you tell a man with two black eyes? Nothing, he's already been told twice.
• After 58 years you'd think writing would get easier. It doesn't. If you're lucky, you become harder to please. That's all right, it's still a…
• The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in.
• Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.
• I don't want the reader to be aware of me as the writer.
• Never use the words 'suddenly' or 'all hell broke loose.'
• Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue... I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had…
• A pen connects you to the paper. It definitely matters.
• I don't judge in my books. I don't have to have the antagonist get shot or the protagonist win. It's just how it comes out.…
• Using adverbs is a mortal sin.
• I've quit writing screenplay [adaptations]. It's too much work. I don't look at writing a novel as work, because I only have to please myself.…
• These are 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…
• There are some people who have been reading me for years, and they keep saying kind things about the writing. That's what you're writing for,…

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