Break All the Rules: A Writer’s Guide

Advice, strangely enough, is never one size fits all. We’ve asked participants to share the best writing advice they never listened to. Today, Hannah Lincoln, NaNoWriMo participant, encourages you to break all the writing rules:

I think that anyone who writes—be it strictly for fun or with the intent of publishing—has felt the pressures of the notorious “writing rulebook” at least once.

Or, if you’re like me, maybe you’ve found yourself running through an imaginary (or literal) checklist of things not to include in your novel every time you sit down with your pen. Rules are made for a reason, and it’s no different when it comes to literature. But what happens when they begin to restrict your stories from reaching their greatest potential?

Viewing rules in writing as guidelines instead can open the door to opportunities you may otherwise miss. Sometimes being a “writing rebel” can allow you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. That’s where the magic happens.

I began writing my last novella as an experiment. I didn’t plan out the plot ahead of time. I wasn’t very consistent with the story’s point of view—readers have the opportunity to see one of the main character’s innermost thoughts only three times throughout the story—and yet it just works. It tells my story the way it was meant to be told.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that literature is not a science.”

It was when I allowed myself to use a plethora of adjectives and adverbs in the first draft instead of omitting them that I knew my English teachers and fellow writers would be cringing. Granted, many were later removed, but I feel that not censoring myself in the beginning allowed me to focus more on what I was trying to say rather than how I needed to say it. That part came later, after I had a solid foundation in place.

I’ve learned a lot about writing over the years, and I learned most of it by actually writing. One of the biggest lessons I’ve emerged with is that literature is not a science. Things aren’t going to explode or go catastrophically wrong if you break a few rules here and there. And if your rule-breaking doesn’t quite go as planned, you can always start again.

The novella became some of my most cherished work, and it began with breaking some rules and just allowing myself to write. And sometimes it’s the unapologetically rebellious books that people fall in love with the most. Because they’re different, and take the approach that brings the story to its highest potential—rule-breaking or not.

Hannah Lincoln is an author, musician, and entrepreneur. She started writing books in elementary school, and her love for storytelling has only grown over the years. Taking a less traditional path, she started her first business after graduating high school and will be publishing her first novel in July 2016. Her books and music will eventually be available on her website, Halcyon Evergreen.

Top photo by Flickr user icg_photography.