Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing [Hardcover]

Elmore Leonard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0061451460 | ISBN-13: 978-0061451461 | Publication Date: October 30, 2007

"These are the 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

For aspiring writers and lovers of the written word, this concise guide breaks down the writing process with simplicity and clarity. From adjectives and exclamation points to dialect and hoopetedoodle, Elmore Leonard explains what to avoid, what to aspire to, and what to do when it sounds like "writing" (rewrite).

Beautifully designed, filled with free-flowing, elegant illustrations and specially priced, Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing is the perfect writer's—and reader's—gift.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“It’s hard to argue with the master of the craft. Clever line drawings by Joe Ciardiello spice things up.” (Christian Science Monitor )

“(It) won me over. The illustrations, by Joe Ciardiello, are perfectly Leonardesque; the paper is art-book luxurious.” (Boston Globe )

About the Author

Elmore Leonard has written more than 40 books during his highly successful writing career, including the bestsellers Road Dogs, Up in Honey’s Room, The Hot Kid, Mr. Paradise, Tishomingo Blues, and the critically acclaimed collection of short stories, When the Women Come Out to Dance. Many of his books have been made into movies, including Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Be Cool. He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA and the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Bloomfield Village, Michigan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061451460
• ISBN-13: 978-0061451461
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A slap in the face of the aspiring writer, November 28, 2007

By 

Jeffery L. Smith "Jeffery Smith" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing (Hardcover)

What we have here is an 85-page hardback book that has the contents of a 4-page article from the New York Times. How is this possible? You can use cardstock instead of paper, to make the book 3/4" thick. Then you put one paragraph on a page. And on other pages, you put one sentence. Make 85% of the book white space, and make the book pretty small. Add some pen and ink drawings on some pages. Pretty soon, this hardback book is starting to look like a hardback book. You can't bend the pages (remember that they are made of cardstock). How long does it take to read this hardback book? A little bit longer than reading an essay in the NY Times. The pages are easier to turn in the NY Times.

It is interesting that the Tag Suggestions provided by Amazon.com include the terms "ripoff" and "rip off". I'll choose "rip off" as it takes up more space and will make this review seem much more like the length of a hardback book.

51 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a bit of a joke, November 1, 2007

By 

Frank Loose (Lawrenceville, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing (Hardcover)

If you want a book that will help you improve your fiction writing, this, in my opinion is not it. It is nothing more than a magazine article stretched to fill a book. And i use the word "fill" loosely; there is a lot of white on the pages. Disappointing, too, because the author does know a thing or two about dialogue; he just chose not to share any of that in this book. For something really worth reading, I suggest Stein on Writing, and The Art and Craft of Novel Writing, by Oakley Hall.

46 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sight Unseen, November 12, 2007

By 

R. Mullen (Bogota, Colombia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing (Hardcover)

I ordered this "book" prior to its release because I couldn't see how I could go wrong with Elmore Leonard. But I did go wrong, very wrong. It is, as other reviewers have detailed, a flimsy, no-brainer of a book, whose contents would barely fill the dustcover of one of Mr. Leonard's bonafide masterpieces.

Never buy a book on the strength of its cover: A hackneyed, yet valid, addage that I disregarded with true regret. On the strength of this experience I will never order another book without being able to glimpse its contents first.

I am also disappointed that Amazon would ballyhoo this book and solicit preorders without some caveat to fans of Mr. Leonard who had good reason to expect so much more.