Writer Rules: Should There Be Any?
I’m often reminded in critique groups of certain rules writers must follow, like “show, don’t tell” (which is a given), then “enlightened” to new ones I was previously unaware of, such as “never use all caps or bold if going for publication with the big five,” but I see bestselling novels do it all the time. I’m told to outline if writing a novel, as opposed to a short story. The Elements of Style advises that if a writer is taking a long journey, he needs a map. I wholeheartedly agree. Then I find out both Stephen King and Joe Hill never use outlines, and then I read an article about how just an outline isn’t enough. You hear “write what you know,” but what author is worth his salt if he can’t come up with a character unlike himself? Do you have to have a story arc? And just what is that, anyway? Should you hate colons and semicolons like Jack Ketchum? Should you bust your hump on social media? It’s never worked for me. And should you care about plot, since Stephen King said it’s a dullard’s first choice? Therefore, what advice should one listen to, and what instruction should one disregard? Should a scribe have any rules at all?
Damn! This is confusing!
It’s like The Devil’s Advocate says, the worst vice is “advice.” I’m certainly not the one to show a new writer the way to make it. But still, I say, if it makes sense, listen; if not, disregard it, but only if you can do so and still be successful (whatever your definition of “successful” is). Your primary concern should be to write the best tale you can, period. I hate to think of any writing advice as a “rule,” but some tips are steadfast, and one would be a fool to ignore them, like ”use the five senses.” The fact of the matter is that it’s a different experience for every writer, so one author’s way shouldn’t mimic another’s. Some scribes have to have a book contract with a big-five publisher to make a living, and another can become a bestseller by self-publishing, while still another prefers to write for a small press and keep his day job.
I found out the hard way that I needed an outline if I’m writing a novel, as my first one was all over the place and didn’t have structure. Yet some may feel that to know where you’re going is spoiling the surprise. I’ve seen authors get away with writing “alright” when they damned well know it’s supposed to be “all right.” I haven’t seen many authors who know to never start a sentence with “however” unless it’s in the sense of “however way you want to do this.” And when do you put the comma after the article instead of before it? Should you ever use a block paragraph?
The answer, therefore, is to do what works for you, and only follow the rules that are givens, where your writing will suffer if you don’t.
