To Write, or Write Well, That is the Question

As sad as this is to admit, I am familiar with very few authors. That's not to say I am unfamiliar with their work. I simply don't remember names of authors. Unless it is the writer of a series I like, and then I know the author's name so I can look up the latest edition.

One author whose name I know, however, is Elmore Leonard. He's not my usual cup of tea. I probably wouldn't have heard of him at all, except I found a TV series on Netflix based on a short story he wrote called "Fire in the Hole." The short story, not the TV show. The show was called Justified, and starred Timothy Olyphant as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. I enjoyed the series so much that I went looking for Elmore Leonard on my library's shelves.

Imagine my surprise! Some TV shows are based on a book and barely have anything except characters in common with it. Not only did Justified keep true to the short story, it was written in the same style as Elmore Leonard's short story. The writers of the show even used some of Leonard's own words. Leonard was a master craftsman, and he shared some of his tips with New York Times readers back in 2001.

As with any master, he admits rules can be broken, but here they are nonetheless, with my reaction in the paragraph below each:

1. Never open a book with weather. Leonard writes, "If it's only to create atmosphere, and not a character's reaction to the weather, you don't want to go on too long. The reader is apt to read ahead looking for people."

I'm not a master by any stretch, but I can think of one or two exceptions, such as in a story where weather in itself is a character, the way the small Kentucky town where Raylan Givens lives is a character. Leonard couldn't have set that story anywhere else. If weather is a driving force in the story, you might open with a description.

That said, I know my tendency to Dickensian writing. I'll stick with people first.

2. Avoid prologues. Leonard points out that prologues in fiction tend to be backstory and can be added anywhere along the way. Don't do it at the beginning; wait until the reader is hooked, invested in the outcome. He'll stick with you through a bit of backstory if he really wants to finish.

Again, looking at my own writing, I tend to do this. Even if I don't formally call it a prologue, I start by telling you his whole life story. Mostly because I know it, and I know it is important to understanding how the character arrived at this place. Have to work on that.

3. Never use a word other than "said" to carry dialogue. Leonard writes, "The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in."

My writers' group says I do dialogue very well, and I believe I do. I can hear the character's voice in my head, and so the dialogue comes out on the page with his inflection. Like magic. I believe Leonard's rule is correct: if the character's voice is strong enough, I don't need to tell you he chortled because you'll know it.

4. Never use an adverb to modify "said." This is married to number 3.

Dialogue should propel the story. Adverbs distract. Again my Dickensian tendencies are showing....

5. Keep your exclamation points under control.

I honestly can't think of a single author that I read that uses exclamation points, except maybe in dialogue. I don't think I do. Have to check that.

6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke lose." Married to number 5.

7. Use regional dialect sparingly. Leonard recommends reading Annie Proulx's short story "Close Range" for an idea of how this should look.

I do this. A lot. I guess I have always thought it adds to number 3, helps the reader hear the character's voice. My novel-waiting-for-me-to-gather-my-courage is filled with Irish immigrants, and I wrote the dialogue phonetically. I'm not going to go back and change it unless a publisher tells me to, but until I summon my courage, it's moot.

8. and 9. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, places, and things. Leonard believes we'll see the characters in our minds anyway.

Leonard is a short story artist, limited by word count, so for him I cannot disagree! But has he read Dickens? I mean, come on! I want to tell my readers about her cute freckles! I want you to see what I see! (Did you see all the exclamation points?)

10. Leave out what readers tend to skip. Leonard writes, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." He says it is his way of remaining invisible, not distracting the reader from the story.

So I guess the authors who write books I read but whose names I cannot remember: these are the masters, the artists. They are invisible.

When I work up my nerve, I want to be invisible, too.