My Most Important Rule Is One That

I Don't Want The Reader To Be Aware Of Me As The Writer.

Never Use An Adverb To Modify The Verb 'said' . . . He Admonished Gravely. To Use An Adverb This Way (or Almost Any Way) Is A Mortal Sin. The Writer Is Now Exposing Himself In Earnest, Using A Word That Distracts And Can Interrupt The Rhythm Of The Exchange.

Avoid Prologues: They Can Be ­annoying, Especially A Prologue ­following An Introduction That Comes After A Foreword.

Never Use A Verb Other Than "said" To Carry Dialogue... I Once Noticed Mary Mccarthy Ending A Line Of Dialogue With "she Asseverated" And Had To Stop Reading And Go To The Dictionary.

I Still Read Hemingway. I Still Read His Short Stories Because They're So Good. He Doesn't Waste Any Words.