R.I.P. Elmore Leonard

L.A. Times Story

Leonard's amazing characters were beloved by Hollywood, 26 of his novels and short stories were adapted as films including Get Shorty and Jackie Brown.

Here are Leonard's "10 Rules of Writing":

1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.
5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.
6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

"My most important rule is one that sums up the 10," he wrote. "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."

This is a huge loss. I love Leonard's books and characters. Not cool he had to go, although he was 87. R.I.P.

R.I.P.