by Michael Lent
In a world of lettuce, Elmore Leonard was meat. Patron saint to crime novelists and screenwriters, his prose got to the meat of things. Quickly. His writing style was crisp, direct and never called attention to anything but the story. His titles were blunt like a punch in the nose. Leonard’s characters knew right from wrong but often didn’t care. He said, ““Psychopaths… people who know the differences between right and wrong, but don’t give a shit. That’s what most of my characters are like.” I got hooked on Leonard after reading Get Shorty. It remains my favorite story of his. I even liked the film adaptation. As a writer, you’re constantly aware that you stand on the shoulders of those who came before you. Elmore Leonard had powerful shoulders. His work lives on. He will be missed. Here’s my list of 10 essential Elmore Leonard stories:
- Get Shorty
- 52 Pickup
- Rum Punch
- 3:10 to Yuma
- Swag
- Killshot
- Hombre
- Out of Sight
- Mr. Majestyk
- Pronto
Readers, what’s on your list? And here’s an article from the master himself:
WRITERS ON WRITING; Easy on the Adverbs, Exclamation Points and Especially Hooptedoodle
By ELMORE LEONARD Published: July 16, 2001 These are 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. If you have a facility for language and imagery and the sound of your voice pleases you, invisibility is not what you are after, and you can skip the rules. Still, you might look them over. Click here for the rest of the article (at the New York Times).
