Scientific Writing: Elmore Leonard’s 10 rules of writing (#367)
- Rick LeCouteur
- Jul 9
- 4 min read
If there was ever a writer who understood the power of economy and rhythm in prose, it was Elmore Leonard.
Known for his razor-sharp dialogue and unpretentious style, Leonard distilled decades of writing experience into 10 Rules of Writing that remain a beacon for storytellers today.
Leonard’s ten rules, and why they matter:
Never open a book with weather.
Readers want people, not meteorological reports. Unless weather is integral to the action, skip it.
Avoid prologues.
Leonard believed prologues were a way of putting off the real story. Start strong. Readers will thank you.
Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
He argued that verbs like grumbled, cautioned, lied draw attention away from the dialogue itself. Said becomes invisible, allowing the reader to hear the words.
Never use an adverb to modify “said.”
He was ruthless about adverbs: “he said gravely” weakens the line. The dialogue should convey tone; trust it.
Keep your exclamation points under control.
“You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.” Enough said!
Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”
These are shortcuts that rob scenes of authentic tension. If hell breaks loose, show us in action, not cliché.
Use regional dialect and patois sparingly.
A few words can evoke place and character. Too much and you risk alienating or confusing your reader.
Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
Leonard trusted readers to imagine characters with minimal cues. Less is more.
Don’t go into detail describing places and things.
Like his character rule: create atmosphere efficiently and let the reader’s mind do the rest.
Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
This, perhaps his greatest rule, is a reminder to cut ruthlessly. If your eyes glaze over rereading a section, cut it.
Why do Leonard’s rules endure?
Because they are rooted in respect for the reader. They strip away pretension and force the writer to trust their story, characters, and dialogue. His rules don’t quash creativity; they sharpen it. By focusing on what matters – action, voice, truth in dialogue – writers can craft prose that moves like his did: fast, clean, and memorable.
Whether you write gritty crime novels, children’s picture books, memoirs, or academic essays, Leonard’s rules are a powerful reminder that writing is an art of omission as much as commission.
Lessons for Modern Scientific Writing
At first glance, Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing might seem suited only to fiction. Yet, their underlying principles are profoundly relevant to modern scientific writing, where clarity, precision, and reader engagement are paramount.
1. Never open with weather.
In scientific writing:
Don’t open with unnecessary background.
Start with the research question, hypothesis, or major finding.
Journals and readers value directness over extended introductions.
Avoid prologues.
In scientific writing:
Skip the literary preambles.
Your abstract and introduction should immediately signal relevance and novelty without rhetorical flourishes or tangential anecdotes.
3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.
In scientific writing:
Avoid over-complicating attributions such as the data suggest strongly or the analysis conclusively demonstrates.
Use neutral, precise verbs: the data suggest, the results indicate.
4. Never use an adverb to modify “said.”
In scientific writing:
Similarly, avoid hedging or intensifying adverbs (very, extremely, highly) unless statistically justified.
They weaken scientific credibility.
5. Keep exclamation points under control.
In scientific writing:
Exclamation points are virtually absent, but the principle applies: avoid emphatic language that borders on hyperbole (remarkable, astounding) unless supported by extraordinary data.
6. Never use “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”
In scientific writing:
Avoid dramatic phrasing.
Stick to factual reporting without narrative tension devices that belong in fiction, not results sections.
7. Use regional dialect sparingly.
In scientific writing:
Use discipline-specific jargon sparingly and only when necessary.
Excessive jargon alienates interdisciplinary readers and reduces accessibility.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
In scientific writing:
Don’t over-describe experimental details that do not affect reproducibility or interpretation.
Prioritize methodological clarity without unnecessary narrative.
9. Don’t go into detail describing places and things.
In scientific writing:
Only include contextual details essential for understanding the methods, results, or implications.
Omit ornamental or tangential descriptions.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
In scientific writing:
Perhaps the most powerful rule.
Cut redundancies, irrelevant citations, or excessive qualifiers.
Every sentence should advance understanding.
Why Do Leonard’s Rules Matter in Science?
Modern scientific writing demands clarity, economy, and respect for readers’ time.
Journals are crowded, reviewers are busy, and attention spans are short. Leonard’s rules remind scientific writers to:
Write plainly and precisely
Value the reader’s need to quickly grasp the main finding
Avoid self-indulgence or rhetorical padding
Edit ruthlessly for relevance and impact
Scientific writing, like Leonard’s fiction, succeeds when it communicates essential truths simply and clearly, without obscuring meaning behind style.
Postscript
Elmore John Leonard Jr. (1925 – 2013) was an American novelist, short story author and screenwriter. He was, according to British journalist Anthony Lane, "hailed as one of the best crime writers in the land". His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures. Among his best-known works are Hombre, Swag, City Primeval, LaBrava, Glitz, Freaky Deaky, Get Shorty, Rum Punch, Out of Sight and Tishomingo Blues.
Leonard's short story Three-ten to Yuma was adapted as 3:10 to Yuma, which was remade in 2007. Rum Punch was adapted as the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown (1997). Steven Soderbergh adapted Out of Sight in 1998 into a film of the same name. Get Shorty was adapted into an eponymous film in 1995 and in 2017 it was adapted into a television series of the same name. His writings were also the basis for The Tall T, as well as the FX television series Justified and Justified: City Primeval.
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