Garoo

Elmore Leonard’s ten rules for writers (via BB). I feel like this obsession for going straight to the point (“being invisible”, as he puts it) is typically American. I don’t know literature enough to assert it, but it sounds logical: in France, being a writer isn’t about telling stories to the widest audience, but having a writing style that other writers can fall in love with. Just like with movies.

Where do I fit in there? As I already said recently (I think), I found out from blogging — and comparing my prose with the other blogs — that I’m much more concise than I ever thought. Even more so now, with two years of writing experience behind me (I opened this blog as a training, and it did work). But I still do like “the sound of my voice” a bit, and I can hardly imagine making myself completely invisible, hidden behind that plot and characters. I want to be seen. Otherwise I wouldn’t blog, or contemplate writing, etc. I suppose that (if I ever finish a manuscript, or if I ever start one for that matter) I’ll stand at an intermediary level. I like that, it works for me, it works for everyone. It looks like a compromise, and people love compromise.

But I don’t think I can ever live without adverbs.