--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These are rules I've picked up along the…" description: "\"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 tell what's taking place ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/elmore-leonard-3471_book_these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the_22532.jpg" --- # These are rules I've picked up along the way to help me… ![“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 tell what's taking place in the story,” quote by Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/elmore-leonard-3471_book_these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the_22532.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/elmore-leonard-3471_book_these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the_22532.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/elmore-leonard-3471_book_these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the_22532.jpg) > “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 tell what's taking place in the story,” [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author shares personal writing habits that keep his presence hidden, favoring showing over telling to let the story speak for itself. **In simple terms:** Stay invisible, let actions reveal the story. Key Takeaway Show, don’t tell. Themes writing technique storytelling craft Mood practical reflective Type advice craft When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenplay development - creative workshops Key Concepts narrative immersion authorial restraint Practical Applications - Use concrete scenes instead of exposition Questions to Reflect On - How does authorial invisibility affect reader engagement? - When might telling be more effective than showing? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing a book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-a-book/) ## Related quotes > [It's my attempt to remain invisible, not distract the reader from the story with obvious writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-s-my-attempt-to-remain-invisible-not-distract-the-reader-from-the/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I could tell, that you could tell that I was taking my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-could-tell-that-you-could-tell-that-i-was-taking-my-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A friend of mine who is in the publishing business knew I was writing a book, and he said, 'Have you said anything yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/a-friend-of-mine-who-is-in-the-publishing-business-knew-i-was-writing/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [If people of colour do not exercise their democratic right to vote, they will remain an invisible, voiceless, and largely ignored part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harewood/if-people-of-colour-do-not-exercise-their-democratic-right-to-vote/) [David Harewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harewood/) > [“Show your hidden enemies that their broken bones will remain invisible too”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/show-your-hidden-enemies-that-their-broken-bones-will-remain/) [Sir P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. Writing a book is a long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/all-writers-are-vain-selfish-and-lazy-and-at-the-very-bottom-of-their/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Hands down, the hardest part for me is coming up with an idea. I spend about 14 months writing a book, and that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/hands-down-the-hardest-part-for-me-is-coming-up-with-an-idea-i-spend/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [By the end of the time I'm writing a book, I'm tearing my hair out and I want to go do stand-up. And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/by-the-end-of-the-time-i-m-writing-a-book-i-m-tearing-my-hair-out-and/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [I always say that, for me, writing a book is like a wacky Greyhound bus trip - I know where I'm starting and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-always-say-that-for-me-writing-a-book-is-like-a-wacky-greyhound-bus/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [I believe that everybody needs to tell their story - to be heard, to be seen, to be acknowledged, to be understood. We all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/i-believe-that-everybody-needs-to-tell-their-story-to-be-heard-to-be/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [Do you know what writing a book is? It's sitting alone in a room for weeks without making contact with another human. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/do-you-know-what-writing-a-book-is-it-s-sitting-alone-in-a-room-for/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [When I was in college, I used to write little ditties and short stories and poetry for my friends. Writing a book is another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/when-i-was-in-college-i-used-to-write-little-ditties-and-short/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [“Writing a book is a blood sport. If it doesn't hurt when you're done, you're probably doing something wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevis-hendrickson/writing-a-book-is-a-blood-sport-if-it-doesn-t-hurt-when-you-re-done/) [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) > [Writing a book is a brilliant thing because once you've finished it, you've done it, and there's the potential for it to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/writing-a-book-is-a-brilliant-thing-because-once-you-ve-finished-it/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Writing a book is an adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/writing-a-book-is-an-adventure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## More by Elmore Leonard > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“There’s something happening here, I know it. It’s right in front of my face, but I just can’t see it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/there-s-something-happening-here-i-know-it-it-s-right-in-front-of-my/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/the-line-of-dialogue-belongs-to-the-character-the-verb-is-the-writer/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“I try to leave out the parts that people skip.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/i-try-to-leave-out-the-parts-that-people-skip/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I have fun writing. I don't make it a chore. I don't have to struggle with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/i-have-fun-writing-i-don-t-make-it-a-chore-i-don-t-have-to-struggle/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/if-it-sounds-like-writing-i-rewrite-it-or-if-proper-usage-gets-in-the/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I don’t think writers compete, I think they’re all doing separate things in their own style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/i-don-t-think-writers-compete-i-think-they-re-all-doing-separate/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/after-58-years-you-d-think-writing-would-get-easier-it-doesn-t-if-you/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“He saw Harvey and Edgar catch each other's eye as he looked off toward the strains of "Alley Cat," Jesus, hoping they'd rush it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/he-saw-harvey-and-edgar-catch-each-other-s-eye-as-he-looked-off/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I'm not going to write for posterity. I'm going to write to make a buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/i-m-not-going-to-write-for-posterity-i-m-going-to-write-to-make-a-buck/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“A wife's faithful to her husband, subject to him. It's in the bible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/a-wife-s-faithful-to-her-husband-subject-to-him-it-s-in-the-bible/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Using adverbs is a mortal sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/using-adverbs-is-a-mortal-sin/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Try not to write the parts that people skip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/try-not-to-write-the-parts-that-people-skip/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I want the reader to know what's going on. So there's never a mystery in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/i-want-the-reader-to-know-what-s-going-on-so-there-s-never-a-mystery/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [My purpose is to entertain and please myself. I feel that if I am entertained, then there will be enough other readers who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/my-purpose-is-to-entertain-and-please-myself-i-feel-that-if-i-am/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) [Explore all 130 Elmore Leonard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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 tell what's taking place in the story,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elmore Leonard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the-way-to-help-me-remain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the-way-to-help-me-remain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/elmore-leonard-3471_book_these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the_22532.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/elmore-leonard-3471_book_these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the_22532.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/elmore-leonard-3471_book_these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the_22532.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“These are rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me…” — Elmore Leonard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elmore Leonard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "These are rules I've picked up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the-way-to-help-me-remain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the-way-to-help-me-remain/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```