Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. Elmore Leonard More Quotes by Elmore Leonard More Quotes From Elmore Leonard 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, to get people to respond to it. Elmore Leonard reading writing years I try to leave out the parts readers skip. Elmore Leonard reader writing trying I'm not going to write for posterity. I'm going to write to make a buck. Elmore Leonard bucks posterity writing Don't go into great detail describing places and things, unless you're Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language. You don't want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill. Elmore Leonard details stories want Bad guys are not bad guys twenty-four hours a day. Elmore Leonard four guy twenties If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Elmore Leonard sound writing inspire I never see my bad guys as simply bad. They want pretty much the same thing that you and I want: they want to be happy. Elmore Leonard want-to-be-happy guy want My purpose is to entertain and please myself. I feel that if I am entertained, then there will be enough other readers who will be entertained, too. Elmore Leonard reader purpose enough 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 pleasure. Elmore Leonard writing years thinking Never open a book with weather. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways to describe ice and snow than an Eskimo, you can do all the weather reporting you want. Elmore Leonard ice-and-snow weather book I have fun writing. I don't make it a chore. I don't have to struggle with it. Elmore Leonard struggle writing fun 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 stories writing book I don’t think writers compete, I think they’re all doing separate things in their own style. Elmore Leonard style thinking Don't worry about what your mother thinks of your language. Elmore Leonard mother worry thinking My characters have to talk, or they're out. They audition in early scenes. If they can't talk, they're given less to do, or thrown out. Elmore Leonard auditions scene character To me, writing is the most fun. It's not always fun, but finally when you make it come out the way you want, it's then you can say, 'It's fun, boy.' Elmore Leonard writing fun boys I want the reader to know what's going on. So there's never a mystery in my books. Elmore Leonard mystery want book I started out of course with Hemingway when I learned how to write. Until I realized Hemingway doesn't have a sense of humor. He never has anything funny in his stories. Elmore Leonard sense-of-humor stories writing I once saw Dizzy Gillespie at a live show, and it made me want to go home immediately and start writing. Elmore Leonard want home writing There's nothing like work to take your mind off your worries. Elmore Leonard mind worry
