Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules Of Writing: Amazon.ca: Elmore Leonard: Books

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Book Description

Publication Date: Oct 18 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.

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"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

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.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (Oct 18 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061451460
ISBN-13: 978-0061451461
Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 2.5 cm
Shipping Weight: 340 g

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #162,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

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

About the Author

Elmore Leonard has written more than forty 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. Justified, the hit series from FX, is based on Leonard's character Raylan Givens, who appears in Riding the Rap, Pronto, the short story "Fire in the Hole," and Raylan. Leonard is the recipient of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the Lifetime Achievement Award from PEN USA, and the Grand Master Award of the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Bloomfield Village, Michigan.

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars `If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.' Jun 7 2010

By J. Cameron-Smith TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This was originally published in The New York Times on 16 July 2001 as `Easy on the Adverbs, Exclamation Points and Especially Hooptedoodle'. The article was part of a series in which writers explore literary themes.

So, why consider buying the book? Well, the illustrations by Joe Ciardiello weren't in the article. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, then there are a few thousand words here in addition to the original article.

This is not a `how to write' guide, although consideration of each of these rules would certainly assist writers in their quest for effective writing. I like each of these rules - especially 5: `Keep your exclamation points under control.' The overuse of exclamation marks is one of my pet hates: if the words themselves cannot get my attention then appending an exclamation mark won't help.

I have a copy of the article, and recently borrowed a copy of the book. I'm still considering whether I need to own my own copy. Yes, it's a slender little book, but size isn't always indicative of quality.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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Amazon.com: 2.9 out of 5 stars 71 reviews

125 of 144 people found the following review helpful

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

By Jeffery L. Smith - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

66 of 77 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars a bit of a joke Nov 1 2007

By Frank Loose - Published on Amazon.com

Format: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.

56 of 66 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Sight Unseen Nov 12 2007

By Richard Mullen - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 71 reviews 2.9 out of 5 stars

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