10 Things to Learn About Writing Fiction From Hemingway

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Before Hemingway, it was acceptable to use lots of adverbs and adjectives in American fiction.  Not after Hemingway.  Before Hemingway, writers would not so much write dialogue for their characters as they would write speeches for their characters.  Not after Hemingway.  Before Hemingway, it took writers forever to get to the action of the story.  Not after Hemingway.  Although writers may ignore the basic parameters that Hemingway taught, only a very talented writer can succeed by ignoring the following 10 guidelines.  

• Distrust all adverbs and adjectives
• Use specific concrete sense details
• The writer should use the specific concrete to illustrate the abstract universal
• Eliminate all unnecessary words
• Get to the action as soon as possible
• Action is character
• Dialogue is also action and a projection of character
• “He said” and “She said” are the best tag lines for dialogue
• All description should be intentional in serving a purpose larger than just description
• A round character is flawed or has internal conflict

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