The First Rule of Write Club is: Be Entertaining

Here’s what another indie writer recently posted on a forum I read:

Starting off with a metaphor in the first paragraph of your first book? Metaphors are unacceptable for story telling. It’s the first rule of write-club.

You know what? That’s baloney, and I just had to say so.

My belief? Write what sells. I hate first person POV with a passion but if you can sell it, sell it. Fifty Shades is in first person, and EL James will burn in writer’s hell for it, but she will go rich and you can’t argue with success.

I know authors that break all the “rules” but they are selling books like hotcakes. We just have to admit to ourselves that the audience likes what the audience like and most of the time they don’t give a flying fig about so-called write club rules – as long as the author can pull it off, keeping it entertaining and immersive.

Actually the first rule of write club, from JA Konrath the Indie guru, is “Be Entertaining.” If you follow that rule, all else will fall into line.

What’s the point of dispensing with the New York liberal tradpub editor snobs if you just end up adopting their “rules”?

Filed under: Writing Blog