Writing

Anonymous
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one
34 words 29 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. asseverate
    state categorically
    I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.

    4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" . . . he admonished gravely.
  2. phonetically
    by phonetics
    Once you start spelling words in dialogue phonetically and loading the page with apos­trophes, you won't be able to stop.
  3. prologue
    an introductory section of a novel or other literary work
    If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways than an Eskimo to describe ice and snow in his book Arctic Dreams, you can do all the weather reporting you want.

    2 Avoid prologues: they can be ­annoying, especially a prologue ­following an
  4. mortal sin
    an unpardonable sin entailing a total loss of grace
    Using adverbs is a mortal sin

    1 Never open a book with weather.
  5. white elephant
    an unwanted possession that is hard to get rid of or to maintain
    In Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants", what do the "Ameri­can and the girl with him" look like?
  6. dialogue
    a conversation between two persons
    I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks."

    3 Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
  7. foreword
    a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
    If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways than an Eskimo to describe ice and snow in his book Arctic Dreams, you can do all the weather reporting you want.

    2 Avoid prologues: they can be ­annoying, especially a prologue ­following an introduction that comes after a foreword.
  8. patois
    a regional dialect of a language
    I have noticed that writers who use "suddenly" tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

    7 Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
  9. intrusive
    tending to enter uninvited
    But "said" is far less intrusive than "grumbled", "gasped", "cautioned", "lied".
  10. sparingly
    to a meager degree or in a meager manner
    I have noticed that writers who use "suddenly" tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

    7 Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
  11. grumble
    make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath
    But "said" is far less intrusive than "grumbled", "gasped", "cautioned", "lied".
  12. knack
    a special way of doing something
    If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.

    6 Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose".
  13. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.

    4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" . . . he admonished gravely.
  14. flavour
    the taste experience when a savory condiment is taken into the mouth
    Notice the way Annie Proulx captures the flavour of Wyoming voices in her book of short stories Close Range.

    8 Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, which Steinbeck covered.
  15. dialect
    the usage or vocabulary characteristic of a group of people
    I have noticed that writers who use "suddenly" tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

    7 Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
  16. expose
    make visible or apparent
    The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.
  17. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.
  18. detailed
    developed with careful treatment of particulars
    Notice the way Annie Proulx captures the flavour of Wyoming voices in her book of short stories Close Range.

    8 Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, which Steinbeck covered.
  19. modify
    cause to change; make different
    I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.

    4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" . . . he admonished gravely.
  20. gravely
    in a serious or solemn manner
    I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.

    4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" . . . he admonished gravely.
  21. sin
    an act that is regarded as a transgression of God's will
    Using adverbs is a mortal sin

    1 Never open a book with weather.
  22. gasp
    a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
    But "said" is far less intrusive than "grumbled", "gasped", "cautioned", "lied".
  23. capture
    seize as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping
    Notice the way Annie Proulx captures the flavour of Wyoming voices in her book of short stories Close Range.

    8 Avoid detailed descriptions of characters, which Steinbeck covered.
  24. apt
    being of striking appropriateness and relevance
    The reader is apt to leaf ahead look­ing for people.
  25. introduction
    the act of beginning something new
    If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways than an Eskimo to describe ice and snow in his book Arctic Dreams, you can do all the weather reporting you want.

    2 Avoid prologues: they can be ­annoying, especially a prologue ­following an introduction that comes after a foreword.
  26. application
    the action of putting something into operation
    I have noticed that writers who use "suddenly" tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

    7 Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
  27. hell
    any place of pain and turmoil
    If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.

    6 Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose".
  28. atmosphere
    the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body
    If it's only to create atmosphere, and not a charac­ter's reaction to the weather, you don't want to go on too long.
  29. exception
    an instance that does not conform to a rule
    There are exceptions.
  30. interrupt
    make a break in
    The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.
  31. non
    negation of a word or group of words
    But these are ordinarily found in non-fiction.
  32. require
    have need of
    This rule doesn't require an explanation.
  33. thick
    not thin
    Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them.
  34. publish
    prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
    Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing is published next month by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Created on Wed Jun 09 14:52:24 EDT 2010 (updated Wed Jun 09 14:56:21 EDT 2010)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.