He was on the Culture Show yesterday and had a few interesting things to say. He's been writing for 55 years and has penned numerous westerns and crime/detective novels including Get Shorty and Rum Punch.
His top 4 tips are:
1) Use plenty of dialogue. He explained that many people skim their way through novels but apparently research suggests that they always read dialogue.
2) Stick to "he said" and "she said". He said that there's no need for fancy alternatives like "exclaimed" or "expounded" etc.
3) Never qualify "he said" by adding adverbs such as "thoughtfully" or "intriguingly" as this makes them too authorial and telly.
4) Try to develop a rhythm or beat to your prose.
(And smoke lots of cigarettes.)
Elmore Leonard's Top Novel Writing Tips
Couldn't agree more!2) Stick to "he said" and "she said". He said that there's no need for fancy alternatives like "exclaimed" or "expounded" etc.
3) Never qualify "he said" by adding adverbs such as "thoughtfully" or "intriguingly" as this makes them too authorial and telly.