# My Writing Rules



## Bayview (Mar 27, 2018)

There's been a lot of talk about writing rules and whether or not they're worth learning/following/considering. It's made me think about my own writing and whether I follow _any _rules with it.

And I do. I'm pretty sure they're going to be too vague to satisfy people who are looking for more of a how-to approach, but I don't think I can make them any more concrete without having a bunch of exceptions sprout up.

So, rules I follow in my writing (and the justifications that make them work!):

1. *Keep your purpose in mind.* If I'm writing a business letter, it has a different purpose than a piece of fiction. If I'm writing an action scene it has a different purpose than a romantic scene. I don't think there are absolute rules to make different types of writing more effective to reach a certain goal, but I think it's always a good idea to keep the purpose in mind during both writing and editing. This expands to cover most of the genre "rules" I'm aware of, since if I'm writing with the purpose of selling to, say, Romance readers, I should write something they will want to buy.

2. *Start your story where your story starts.* There are certainly lots of great writers who don't follow this rule. But for me, it's is important. I think it can probably be re-framed in terms of inciting incidents or turning points or something, but I'm not really comfortable with that jargon and I don't want to accidentally mis-use it. So I just ask myself - when do things change for my character? And that's where I start writing.

3. *Don't cheat*. These are just getting more and more vague, aren't they? For me, this means not fudging things. If I've built a character in such a way that the character would do X in a certain situation, but it would be really, really cool for the plot if the character did Y... too bad. The character needs to do X. Otherwise I'm cheating. If it takes ten hours to drive from A to B in reality, and I'm writing a realistic story, then I can't have my characters drive that distance in six hours, no matter how convenient it would be. No cheating.

4. ? I feel like there must be more...

Anyone got any rules of this sort that they follow in their writing?


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 27, 2018)

Follow the rules of the universe.

This is a variation of, or perhaps simply another example of, the "no cheating" rule. Even in fantasy writing, there's rules or laws of the universe. And you have to follow them. If it takes a certain skill to do a certain magic, then don't have an inept character able to do it. Or have a skilled character suddenly unable to do it, just to make the plot go where you want it.


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## EmmaSohan (Mar 27, 2018)

I have found that some people don't like to be brave and do things that are different. And some people like to be brave and do things that are different. My rule for grammar is to do what's best. If it's new or different, I do it. That's not so hard for me, because I like new and different. But if the best thing is the same-old same-old, or following a rule, I do that.

Ah, I just realized that's an instance of what Bishop told me -- the story always comes first.


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## bdcharles (Mar 27, 2018)

My inner critic/editor is pretty unforgiving. Here is a greatly abridged subset of the rules to which I subject myself. Enjoy! 



No cliches or lazy writing unless I am willing to hang a lampshade on them and acknowledge them as such in the story, and even that must be kept to a minimum. 
No going on too long and messing up the beat. If I wanted to spend time with the pub dullard I'd spend time with myself, not my imaginary friends. 
No being boring. Just don't. Boringness is a capital offence and a deadly sin rolled into one. 
No repeating words too close together unless for effect. Absolutely no repeating a key phrase or a phrase which I think is rather good. Ever. It gets one shot at the hereafter, and if it doesn't instantly go viral then it was never meant to be. 
No repeating sentence structures too soon. It starts to look like I don't know what I am doing. 
No grammar mistakes unless I am willingly butchering spag for effect, realistic dialogue, etc. The text will be edited to within microns of perfection. 
Nothing cheesy will be permitted. If a character acts in a ludicrous fashion, their humiliation will be immortalised in story and they will pay for it before the last page. 
No anemic text. All prose must be, if not baroque and bursting with bountiful life, at least able to conjure up some sort of mental picture. Efficient data transfer is for computer networks and has no place in my story. If there are any sentence fragments, someone better be getting their skull bashed in, and if there are any comma splices, someone better be in the dying seconds before a massive impact. 
And lastly, have fun! Yay! 
 
*wet streamer sound*


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 27, 2018)

I think certain things deserve repetition. What would life be without "live long and prosper",  "may the force be with you", or the Rules of Acquisition? Granted, those are all cinema or television. I'm sure books have phrases, too. Poirot's "little grey cells" is one. I can't think of anything from Harry Potter. Is it possible that HP doesn't have a repeated phrase?


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## bdcharles (Mar 27, 2018)

Jack of all trades said:


> I think certain things deserve repetition. What would life be without "live long and prosper",  "may the force be with you", or the Rules of Acquisition? Granted, those are all cinema or television. I'm sure books have phrases, too. Poirot's "little grey cells" is one. I can't think of anything from Harry Potter. Is it possible that HP doesn't have a repeated phrase?



That would be for effect, like a motif, or to press home a point. Of course, words like _and _and _the _and _said _will get repeated, but they're sand, they're everywhere, no-one really cares about them. But if, for instance I wrote the word _effect _here, that lessens the effect of the first _effect _and makes it hard to really press home the point.


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## Terry D (Mar 27, 2018)

1. Write something I would pay to read.
2. Focus on story above all else (not plot -- story -- there's a difference).
3. Use clear, concise, vivid language.
4. Respect my readers. Never write down to them.
5. Make every damned word count (something I'm not so good about in forum posting).
6. Write with a flame, edit with ice.


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## Kyle R (Mar 27, 2018)

Terry D said:


> Focus on story above all else (not plot -- story -- there's a difference).


This sounds like it deserves a discussion all its own.



			
				Terry D said:
			
		

> Write with a flame, edit with ice.


Awesome-sauce.


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## Terry D (Mar 27, 2018)

Kyle R said:


> This sounds like it deserves a discussion all its own.



When I get the time, maybe I'll start one.


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 27, 2018)

I have rules similar to BV's rules #1 & 3.

I make a conscious effort to never get in a hurry to tell the story because usually character development suffers.

I strive for accuracy to such a degree that my novels often include an appendix where I detail how the unbelievable things are true. This is to dispel erroneous beliefs people get from Hollywood movies. To this end I do a lot of research, and whenever possible I go and do some of the things I write about.

Another big rule of mine is consistent characters. I work hard to ensure that they do things that would be inline with their personality. I hated Green Lantern because the hero was totally inconsistent---hotshot fighter jock suddenly turns into reluctant hero when he gets the ring? WTF, over?


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 27, 2018)

Another that is not really a rule; I am absolutely neurotic about fact checking and details. My belief is that the minute your reader thinks they are smarter than the writer, they begin to look at your work differently...like the way you might view a total noob's writing. Thats how you get those amateur editor book reviews that stink the place up.


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## Terry D (Mar 27, 2018)

Ralph Rotten said:


> I strive for accuracy to such a degree that my novels often include an appendix where I detail how the unbelievable things are true. This is to dispel erroneous beliefs people get from Hollywood movies. To this end I do a lot of research, and whenever possible I go and do some of the things I write about.



You must be Dan Brown!


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## moderan (Mar 27, 2018)

Mine: Character stays consistent. Must follow internal logic. Don't show or tell, merely suggest, if at all possible. The story takes place in the reader's mind. Tuckerize everyone -- it gives them a reason to read the stuff.


I do a LOT of research but that's verisimilitude. I don't go so far as to source my sources, generally.


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## Jack of all trades (Mar 27, 2018)

bdcharles said:


> That would be for effect, like a motif, or to press home a point. Of course, words like _and _and _the _and _said _will get repeated, but they're sand, they're everywhere, no-one really cares about them. But if, for instance I wrote the word _effect _here, that lessens the effect of the first _effect _and makes it hard to really press home the point.



I understand that phrases sometimes get repeated for effect.

I understand that too much repetition dilutes the effect.

I know that words like "a", "the", "said" are frequently used throughout a book or story.

You said : 


> Absolutely no repeating a key phrase or a phrase which I think is rather good. Ever. It gets one shot at the hereafter, and if it doesn't instantly go viral then it was never meant to be.



I gave some examples of phrases, not words, that have been repeated in books, TV, and movies. 

If we're going to discuss the possibility of repeating phrases, let's at least not put words in the other person's mouth.

Maybe this is one of those "know what I meant and not what I said" moments.

Maybe I'll start a separate thread to discuss the pros and cons of repeating phrases. I don't want to take this thread too far off topic.

My apologies!


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## Blackstone (Mar 27, 2018)

1. Write or edit for two hours each day, 365 days a year.

2. Read daily. 

3. Plan knowing things will usually change.

4. If you're not sure if something needs to be there, it doesn't.

5. Always keep things moving; don't assume the reader cares.

6. Try to use simple English whenever possible. Put away your thesaurus

7. Your character should always sound like human beings, regardless of how human they are.

8. Perfect dialogue is what you overheard on the metro that morning.

9. If by chance you can make your own skin crawl, your own eyes teary or a laugh slip from your lips accidentally, it is always good writing.

10. Be your own personal grammar Nazi.


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## NathanielleC (Dec 20, 2018)

My Rules: 

1. Write the first draft. Don't post a snippet about it anywhere or tell anyone about it until you've written that first draft. 

2: Be selective with who you ask for a proofread. I don't mean to only ask people who will blow smoke up your behind. I posted a request on a local Facebook group that was geared towards the arts. I got a magazine editor and a general reader of fiction for my trouble and neither one of them had any reason to shower me with praise. Their expertise and insight was invaluable and it helped me improve the final work. 

3: Accept that you're never going to be one hundred percent satisfied with your own work. You're always going to be convinced that something is wrong with it and the more rocks you overturn, the more you're going to find. Get it to the point where you know it will survive in the wild and send it out there.


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## Megan Pearson (Dec 26, 2018)

Bayview said:


> There's been a lot of talk about writing rules and whether or not they're worth learning/following/considering. It's made me think about my own writing and whether I follow _any _rules with it. ... Anyone got any rules of this sort that they follow in their writing?




The best rule for writing I've ever heard comes from the character William Forester's advice to his protege Jamal Wallace in the movie _Finding Forester_: 
"Punch the keys, for God's sake!" 

I like this rule because it reminds me to be passionate about what I'm writing, to focus on telling my story, and to keep _on_ writing until the story is told. It adds to what makes a story well told. Plus, if there's passion in the draft, it will survive editing.


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## Ralph Rotten (Dec 28, 2018)

Megan Pearson said:


> The best rule for writing I've ever heard comes from the character William Forester's advice to his protege Jamal Wallace in the movie _Finding Forester_:
> "Punch the keys, for God's sake!"
> 
> I like this rule because it reminds me to be passionate about what I'm writing, to focus on telling my story, and to keep _on_ writing until the story is told. It adds to what makes a story well told. Plus, if there's passion in the draft, it will survive editing.




His rule is much like one of mine: *Books don't write themselves.
*It's something I say to remind myself that I need to get back to work because the damned book ain't gonna write itself.

I also have a rule that goes along with that: *Books don't sell themselves.*
This is the mantra I mutter during book releases to remind myself that I need to get out and actively market the new book (because I really hate marketing.)


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## Periander (Jan 5, 2019)

bdcharles said:


> My inner critic/editor is pretty unforgiving. Here is a greatly abridged subset of the rules to which I subject myself. Enjoy!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I absolutely agreed with this list.  Repeated words/phrases is also a huge pet peeve of mine.  The other one for me is sentence length.  I can't stand having too many long sentences in a row.  Or short sentences.  It annoys the crap out of me.  <--Case in point!


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## luckyscars (Jan 9, 2019)

Eat an egg for breakfast every day.


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## Olly Buckle (Jan 10, 2019)

Rule number one, no rules. Of course I am always breaking it, then I am reminded of the Psychology class where they taught us about the man who made up nonsense words to test memory; when he asked people how they remembered them they told him of the meanings they saw in them


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## Ralph Rotten (Jan 21, 2019)

Olly Buckle said:


> Rule number one, no rules. Of course I am always breaking it, then I am reminded of the Psychology class where they taught us about the man who made up nonsense words to test memory; when he asked people how they remembered them they told him of the meanings they saw in them




That story makes me feel not-so-crazy now.
I subconsciously assigned genders to the numbers. In my mind the numbers each have a personality.
2 is that smart chick Heather from the 2nd grade.
5 is a Virgo.
9 is the class diva.




Yes; squirrels come to *me *for nuts.


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## Guard Dog (Jan 21, 2019)

Ralph Rotten said:


> That story makes me feel not-so-crazy now.
> I subconsciously assigned genders to the numbers. In my mind the numbers each have a personality.
> 2 is that smart chick Heather from the 2nd grade.
> 5 is a Virgo.
> ...



So that explains why the tree rats have taken up residence in the eaves and soffits of my house...


G.D.


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## MzSnowleopard (Jan 26, 2019)

My rules are an adaptions of The Rules of Gibbs from NCIS.... There's only one I tell my friends about:

Never mess with a writer's coffee... if you want your character to live.

- that is the character based on them.


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## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Jan 28, 2019)

Ralph Rotten said:


> That story makes me feel not-so-crazy now.
> I subconsciously assigned genders to the numbers. In my mind the numbers each have a personality.
> 2 is that smart chick Heather from the 2nd grade.
> 5 is a Virgo.
> ...



Haha, me too. The numbers have genders, and the letters of the alphabet have colors and are either "even" or "odd." A is red, and even. B is even. C is odd. And so on. All this has been in my subconscious brain for as long as I can remember.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jan 28, 2019)

3 is that smart-ass little guy, prolly Italian.
4 always reminded me of Natasha Badenuff
8 is the muscle-headed guy
1 is the boy who suffers from single-child syndrome.
6 is that dull guy...Gary, Harry. Who cares. He's boring.
7 is the guy who is always looking for an edge, a gimmick, a shortcut.

I subconsciously assign a character to letters too, but no gender.
Letters don't have to multiply so they don't need junk.  Right?


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## Olly Buckle (Jan 28, 2019)

It is the thread title that gets me, not like you to be that arrogant, Bayview.


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## Bayview (Jan 28, 2019)

Olly Buckle said:


> It is the thread title that gets me, not like you to be that arrogant, Bayview.



Oh, I think it's EXACTLY like me!


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## Ralph Rotten (Jan 29, 2019)

Bayview said:


> Oh, I think it's EXACTLY like me!




Own it, girl! :wink:


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## Guard Dog (Jan 30, 2019)

I only have one rule right now: *Get the damned story written down.*

Everything else is open to negotiation and interpretation at the moment.

( Maybe not so much when the real editing work begins. )

G.D.


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## Kyle R (Jan 30, 2019)

Bayview said:


> Anyone got any rules of this sort that they follow in their writing?



For me:

— Write with as much energy and passion as you can muster. Don't be timid. Timidity won't make the reader swoon. Plus, your story deserves better than that. It deserves your fireworks.

— Allow yourself to write sloppy. Sloppy is where accidents happen. And accidents lead to discoveries that you won't find if you keep the reins too tight.

— When it comes time to edit, instead of trying to edit various things at once, do _several_ passes of edits—with each pass focusing on a different (and specific) aspect of the writing. Example: pass 1—voice, pass 2—SPaG, pass 3—setting, pass 4—description ... etc.

— If you want your POVs to really immerse the reader, try to scrub as much filtering out of the narration as you can.

— Read your work aloud. Or have someone read it aloud for you (computer text-to-speech counts). Audibly, you'll notice things that your eyes might've missed. 

— Don't languish in that waiting-game limbo after submitting to an agent/editor. Use that time to start writing your next story/book.

— Read whenever you can! Reading is rocket fuel for writers. :encouragement:


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