In Others’ Words: Writers’ Rules

 

 

I was a rule follower long before I realized I was a writer. “Which way do we go — and how do we act while we get there?” was my mantra.

And while I like life to be heavily flavored with grace and passion and laughter these days,  there is still a time and a place for rules. Writing requires grace and passion and laughter too — but rules are needed to help the idea in my head and the words I’m writing become a real story.

I like author Kurt Vonnegut’s rules — and not just because #2, #3, #4 and #6 all appeal to my red pen editor’s eye. Of all the rules, #7 intrigues me the most: Pity the readers.

Now what do you suppose Mr. Vonnegut meant by that? I stopped and asked myself when have I felt as if an author wasted my time? If I rewrote that line (with apologies to Mr. Vonnegut), I’d say, “For pity’s sake, don’t waste the readers time with an implausible plot or characters too stupid to live.*”

In Your Words: How’s your Wednesday going? Did any of Kurt Vonnegut’s rules appeal to you? And what do you think about #7? I’d love to know! 

*Best-selling author Rachel Hauck was the first one who taught me about not having characters who are too stupid to live! She talks about it in her post “Avoiding the Rory Gilmore Syndrome.”