Rules of Writing

Everyone has their favorite writing rules, but nothing is quite like taking a look at a well known author's to see what makes the list from different sources.

A quick Google search turned up these four:

1. Janet Fitch
2. Elmore Leonard
3. Jonathan Franzen
4. George Orwell

I think my favorites are as follows:

• Torture your protagonist. (Janet Fitch)
• Keep your exclamation points under control. (Elmore Leonard)
  
• It’s doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction. (Jonathan Franzen)
• Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. (George Orwell)

What is your favorite writing rule?