What are Vonnegut's eight rules for writing?

From his essay "How to Write with Style" and various interviews:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it's only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense.

What does "every character should want something" mean in practice?

Even background characters need a legible motivation. Wanting a glass of water is the floor — it grounds the character in physical reality. Characters without wants are abstractions; characters with wants (even small ones) are people.

What is the "sadist" rule about?

Not cruelty for its own sake, but that the only way to reveal character is through pressure. A character who has nothing bad happen to them never has to show what they're made of. The bad thing — the obstacle, the loss, the wrong choice — is what the story is for.

Why is "start close to the end" useful advice?

Because most writers begin too early — before the story matters. The events that matter happen near the end; everything before that is setup. The reader doesn't need the setup they don't need. Start when the stakes are already present.

Which rule does Vonnegut himself follow best?

Rule 8 — give readers information fast. His novels dump exposition early and trust the reader to keep up. He doesn't withhold to create false suspense. The interest comes from the prose and the character, not from delayed revelation.