My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

I don't want the reader to be aware of me as the writer.

I got halfway through 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.' I don't get it at all. What's the big thrill? It's boring.

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.

What do you tell a man with two black eyes? Nothing, he's already been told twice.

I left advertising as fast as I could in 1961. And I haven't ever thought about going back.

Don't go into great detail describing places and things, unless you're ­Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language. You don't want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.