Writers Don't Need No Stinkin' Rules

Ten rules for writing fiction from The Guardian.

I heavily disagree with Elmore Leonard's rule #3 - Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. When I read an author whose dialogue attributes are long strings of "said... said... said..." the monotony makes me irritable. "Is that the only word this @#&% writer knows?" I grumble. As a reader I register it as a sign of an author's limitations. I understand why going overboard on attributes is to be discouraged, just as going overboard on practically anything is. But why on earth would you advise someone to "not" use their imagination? Plus it's not particularly economical if you wish to squeeze the most mileage out of the least amount of words.

On the other hand I must concur with Roddy Doyle's rule #6 - Do keep a thesaurus, but in the shed at the back of the garden or behind the fridge, somewhere that demands travel or effort. Despite their detractors, thesauri are top notch vocabulary builders. Even if you don't find the appropriate word you're looking for at the time, you often stumble upon a few sparklers to jot down for future use.