Elmore Leonard's Rules of Writing

Image: Listmaker

Tips from a guy who has written a couple of novels including a book on 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.  Know that if you're me, anything you write will be made into a movie. Anything. Seriously, anything.  (I added this one.)

And, of course, his famous advice:
"If it sounds like writing, I re-write it."