10 writing lessons from the late Elmore Leonard

Specific things to omit: exclamation points, folksy patois, the weather, ‘suddenly,’ and adverbs modifying ‘said.’

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I wish I could say I learned a lot from Elmore Leonard when he was alive.

Unfortunately, I didn’t—until his 10 rules for writing went viral Tuesday after his death. He was 87.

The bestselling author wrote nearly 50 novels, including “Get Shorty” and “Freaky Deaky,” and solidified himself as a popular crime writer. Judging from Leonard’s list, he’d want me to skip the prologue about his life and get right to the writing advice.

So, here we go:

1. Never open a book with weather.

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