The Craft: Rules for Writing, Rule #5: Stick To What Works

[This is part of a continuing series on the art of writing fiction.]

Alright. We’ve got down the four basic writing rules you need to get started, rules that enable you to write every day. But there’s one last rule to keep in mind that ties everything together:

Stick to What Works.

Like “Get Black on White” this one seems pretty obvious, but applying it is a bit of a trick. One of the great things about the rule is that it’s so flexible and constantly open to experiment. Whenever I have a great...