Two things

First, one of my favorite short stories of all time is Hills Like White Elephants by Hemingway. Sparse prose, careful attention to necessary detail, atmosphere and character conveyed through choice pieces of dialogue, and of course, a gradual unveiling of the conflict between the two characters.

Second, Elmore Leonard talks about writing and while some people aren't happy about his stance about adverbs or "book-saidisms," it's got to be said. And I'd like to add to the list to avoid paragraphs talking about a character's boredom (the worst story openings are the ones the begin with "Mary Sue was bored because she had nothing to do) and also a reduction in the use of the passive voice, ie the verb to be.

That is all.