My
ten rules for writing.Let
it suck.
This is rule #1 for a reason. When
you write, if you’re obsessed that everything that you put down on the page is
perfect, you’ll never finish anything. Let it suck, especially that first draft.
You can’t fix what ain’t there. Plow through.
I’m not saying write your story
into a plot hole, I’m saying it’s okay for a scene to be boring, or for the dialogue
to be stiff, or a whole slew of other issues. In my first published book,
Vision of Shadows, I had a scene where my protagonist Bristol had a talk with
her Grandpa about the history of their family. It was an important scene, but
it was two people sitting on a porch, gabbing. It felt dry. I almost stopped
writing it, but I adhered to my rule.
Then I revised it. I remembered, ‘Hey,
Bristol is a psychic. She’s always got ghosts hanging around, and I have this dearly
departed soul who plays a big part later on. Put him in now, where she can see
and hear him, but grouchy old grandpa can’t. It made a dry scene flow.
2) Own
your book.
It’s your story. Do what you want.
If you wrote a story, and you crafted it to follow the same path as Harry
Potter, or something from Stephen King or Nora Roberts, you’d be ripping them
off. If you decide to do the opposite of what JK Rowling did, you’re still letting
your story be dictated by someone else. Write the story you want to write. We
all have influences. In music, we love to hear hints of different musical styles.
Same with books.
3) There
is only one way to plot out, structure, and write a novel. Whatever way that works.
I’m going to go back to the music analogy
again. Some musicians write the music parts first, then sit down and write the
lyrics. Other’s write lyrics first, wanting the song to tell a story, and add
the music to fit. Some write it together. There are songs where the artist took
the verses of one song, the chorus of another, and the guitar riff off of a
third, all songs they never thought were great, but loved those parts. The
listener may never know this and most likely won’t care. What they care about
is the song they hear. The end result. Do they like it.
Some people plot their novels out
in such details that they can write the chapters out of order. Other’s have no
idea what they’re going to write until they write it. While many find someplace
in-between. There’s no one way to do it. And there’s no rule that you can’t do
it one way for book one, and another way for book two. What matters is the end
product.
4) Writers
are readers.
You need to have a love for
stories. Again, back to music. I don’t know of any great musician that doesn’t
love to listen to music. And just because you play in a band like KISS, doesn’t
mean you can’t listen to Brad Paisley or Barry Manilow. (3 of my favorites.) That’s
not to say you have to read every book out there. But the more you read, the
more you absorb. Different styles, techniques for dialogue, world building,
descriptions of characters, building tension, and other aspects. You learn,
your grow. So keep reading. Besides, it’s fun.
5) Criticism
is our friend.
When it’s done right, of course. We
need feedback. Find a critique partner or group. Have someone read your work.
Form a group if you have to. Listen to what they say. Be wary of those who just
look to criticize you, cause they’re out there, but mostly writers love to
help. If you join a critique group, and you spend the entire time explaining
why you used that same word, over and over again, and how this conversation
about a character that has no role in the story should be there because you
want it, maybe it’s time to reexamine it. Take all criticism you and your story
receive with a grain of salt. Other authors might make suggestions on how they
might do something. Consider, but you’re not obligated. But if you keep hearing
that they don’t understand what you’re saying, it might be time to revise.
Listen to your editor. There are
times when you have a vision, and you want to make your case, but an editor is
doing a job. And that’s to give you a sellable, readable book. Pick your
battles.
6) Interact
with other authors.
I know some of you are shy or really can't bring yourself to say hello. Some
like to keep to yourself. Some may have challenges that a guy like me can’t
understand. So my saying this may be far easier than you doing it, so don't feel bad if you can't. However, try to interact with other writers. It inspires and you learn
from them. You can cheer them on, and console when they get rejected. Most of
us have similar stories, and have faces the same fears, the same doubts.
Generally speaking, we’re a fun bunch and we want to be there for you. So, try
and become a part of the community. Be a lurker if that’s all you can handle.
Maybe you need to work up to it. We’re not going anywhere.
7) Don’t
feed the trolls
This is more of a social media
thing, but it definitely applies to writers. There will be people out there who
derive pleasure in embarrassing and harassing you. You’ll always run into that
one person who deems it their place to spread negativity, and they often target
those who just want to pass along a little positively. You won’t be able to
avoid them all. Feel free on social media to hit the block button. Never feel
bad about looking out for your own mental health. They’re not worth it. You
are.
8) Don’t
be a troll
On the flip side, if you’re critiquing
someone’s work, always try and find something positive. They poured their heart
and soul into their work. Maybe it’s not anywhere near ready for publication,
but find a nice way to telling them that. If you’re interacting with other writers
on social media, remember you don’t know what challenges that person faces behind
their keyboard. A little kindness can go a long way. Unfortunately, meanness,
vileness and malice can go just as far, if not farther. Don’t be that guy. The
one who has to try a ruin someone else’s joy, or relishes getting a rise out of
people. The one who makes themselves feel powerful but making other’s feel
lesser. By nature, most creative types, including writers, are a sensitive bunch.
Maybe you’re not. That’s fine. Don’t be the one who makes someone else feel
like nothing. You may not want to live with the results.
9) The
are rules to writing, including writing certain genres. Know them.
In a romance, there are a lot of
rules. The couple needs to meet fairly early. They need to have a Happily Ever
After ending, or at least a Happily For Now. There are different rules for each
genre. Readers expect these things when they read that kind of book. Understand
them. Respect them. And if you feel you need to, break them. Maybe your book
isn’t a romance, but a woman’s fiction, or a love story, or a suspense with romantic elements. That’s something that can be figured out later. Other rules
exist. Head hoping. (Pick a point of view in a scene and stick to it.) Tense.
Show, not tell. It’s one thing to break a rule on purpose, as an artistic choice.
It’s another to pretend they don’t exist. Know the difference. No rule is absolute.
Heck, one amazing book I read, American Psycho, had the narrator going from 3rd
person to 1st in the middle of a chapter. Happened later again. He spends
pages talking about irrelevant information. But then again, the narrator was a
psycho, so it all made sense.
10) The
most important rule to remember. Your own.
Again, this is your story. Tell it.
The way you want to. Don’t let someone come in, even someone with the best of
intentions, and tell you vampires don’t sparkle, or an independently published
book about an astronaut stranded on Mars will never be made into a movie. Don’t
read a list of rules, even this list put out with the best of intentions, be
your bible, or what keeps you from writing. Most likely, you’ve never heard of
me, so why assume I’m all knowing, all seeing, and what I say has to be. Take
what you like and leave the rest. And guess what? The same goes for Dan Brown,
Stephen King, Nora Roberts, or JK Rowling. They didn’t let others tell them
exactly how to write, and neither should you. Sure, it makes sense to pay
attention to someone who is a best seller, but you do you. Because just maybe
you’ve got a rule or two that can teach someone something they didn’t think of
before.
There you have it. My top ten rules.
Do with them as you see fit. Print them out and paste them by your workstation.
Or use them to line the bottom of a birdcage. Doesn’t matter. These are my top ten rules.
So, what are yours?
