Leonard's First Rule of Writing

'My most important rule is one that sums up the ten (rules): if it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.'

--from master crime novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard's exercise in minimalism, Ten Rules of Writing. Please note that he uses the word "sounds" rather than "looks." You can check out his books here and his official website here. Salon.com did a nice profile of him nearly a decade ago in its splendid Brilliant Careers series, and he was the focus of the New York Times' similarly interesting Writers on Writing series here. Alas, both series are no more.