Rules…. I almost don’t have to say anything else. I can hear many of you cringing as you read the word out loud. Do you know why? Because rules, while necessary in things like gravity and physics, can hold a writer down and that sucks.
Seasoned writers, (another phrase that describes know-it-all-I-published-one-book-so-I’m-great writers) will fill your head with all kinds of rules. Some of them make sense but then there are others that you kind of have to cock your head to one side and ask, huh? For instance:
Don’t ever edit your first draft: Here’s the thing…you should not focus on editing your first draft but you still can. I admit that there are times when I go back over a scene and feel the need to clarify before moving on. That’s okay. Don’t get bogged down by editing on the first draft but nothing earth shattering will happen if you do edit.
Stay with one POV: While staying with one POV can make you novel easy, sometimes shifting it can be fun. Don’t get me wrong…you have to have an understanding of what you are doing if you choose to switch POV within your story but the rule that you shouldn’t is crap. Ask yourself, does following this rule strengthen my work? If it doesn’t, trash it.
Rules, when it comes to writing, should be fluid. There are times when following them will make your work better. However, there are also times when breaking them will make it better; either way, it is a personal decision, so don’t let some yahoo who has published a book or two tell you different. The way I see it, it’s simple….if breaking the rules will make my novel better, then by Pete, I’m gonna break em…in fact, I just might break em all.
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