--- title: "Elmore Leonard: Writing Tips You Can Learn From" id: "19118" type: "post" slug: "elmore-leonard-writing-tips-you-can-learn-from" published_at: "2013-08-21T23:00:47+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:06:42+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/08/21/elmore-leonard-writing-tips-you-can-learn-from/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/08/21/elmore-leonard-writing-tips-you-can-learn-from.md" excerpt: "Even if you’re not writing the Great American Novel, you can certainly write like you are. Borrow some tips from the recently deceased Elmore Leonard. Also: A tale of an invite rescinded—and the questions it raised." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "Leadership" - "literature" - "Writing" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Elmore Leonard: Writing Tips You Can Learn From Earlier this week, the literary world lost one of its shining lights—one whose words served as muse for numerous films and inspired writers far and wide. Celebrated crime novelist Elmore Leonard, who died Tuesday at 87, left behind a large body of work, and one of those pieces could help you become a little bit better at using the English language. More in today’s Social Media Roundup: ### The Language of a Legend > Love this! >> RIP, Elmore Leonard: The Beloved Author’s 10 Rules of Writing | Brain Pickings [http://t.co/nPkRMjIDmv (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/nPkRMjIDmv) > [#tips (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/tips?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#writing (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/writing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — kikilitalien (@kikilitalien) [August 21, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/kikilitalien/status/370160812184588288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”** With the loss of Leonard, it’s a fitting time to look over his advice on writing, [which Brain Pickings blogger Maria Popova (opens in a new tab)](http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/08/21/elmore-leonard-10-rules-of-writing/) has gathered from a *New York Times* article he wrote in 2001. “If you have a facility for language and imagery and the sound of your voice pleases you,” he writes, “invisibility is not what you are after, and you can skip the rules. Still, you might look them over.” You may not be working on an update of *Get Shorty*, but his advice—which focuses on the simplicity of language and the control good writers need—still resonates. How might Leonard’s insights change the way you communicate using the written word? *(ht @[kikilitalien (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/kikilitalien/status/370160812184588288) )* ### Invited, Disinvited, Re-invited > Brainfood for [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > on what members may really need RT [@petershankman (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/petershankman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > Well said, [@edwardboches (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/edwardboches?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > . BRAVO. [http://t.co/9mVp6OJhs0 (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/9mVp6OJhs0) > > — The Expo Group (@theexpogroup) [August 21, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/theexpogroup/status/370252568548499456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Get past the labels:** Edward Boches, an advertising professor at Boston University, recently found himself disinvited from a speaking engagement. [And the reason startled him (opens in a new tab)](http://edwardboches.com/rejected-by-the-pr-industry-for-being-an-ad-guy) . “Yesterday the Council of PR Firms uninvited me,” he wrote. “Apparently they found out that I was an ‘ad guy.’” But rather than simply get upset or bitter about that, he wrote an impressive piece on the need to stop thinking so narrowly about titles and consider how disciplines can learn from one another. “What has me upset is that an organization attempting to serve an entire profession would think so narrowly in this day and age,” he wrote. “It concerns me that the message they are sending to members is the wrong one. It’s worrisome if our industry gatekeepers are failing to teach the next generation the skills and mindset needed to succeed.” After his article was widely shared online, Boches revealed that he had been re-invited to speak—about the issues that he raised. All in all, a busy day for Boches—and an insightful post. *(ht @[theexpogroup (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/theexpogroup/status/370252568548499456) )* How are you pushing beyond your industry’s comfort zone at your event? Let us know your take in the comments. (photo by MDCarchives/Wikimedia commons) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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