The Three Rules for Writing a Novel...

"...Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

This quote always cheers me up. I've started six different novels, but only two let themselves be finished. My novels disregard all of my rules. If I write an outline, the novel refuses follow it. If I plan a chapter, some strange occurrence steers it off course. And, of course, if I send a boy into space, he's bound to touch a mysterious object that will turn my one book into a trilogy. 
I think my novels, like many of my former students, enjoy bending and breaking my rules, and like my students, I still love spending time with them. Not that I mind when a chapter comes out of my head fully formed or someone nails a presentation with no help from me. There's just glory in redeeming all the unruly things. So if anyone finds those three rules for novel writing, tell some other author. Don't tempt me. I'll probably be busy duking it out with some 80,000-word delinquent. Fortunately.