My Top Ten Rules for Writing

By Lea Page

#1. “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” ~Elmore Leonard

Leonard’s rule rules. Writing that sounds like writing—where the writer tries to grab the reader with a display of superior skills—yanks the reader’s attention away from the story. It’s the equivalent of saying “Look at me! Look at me!” Let the reader lose themselves in what you’re writing about. They can admire you later.

#2. “Be brief and tell us everything.” ~Charles Simic

Simic is a poet, so there’s tha...