tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post2842137274562090669..comments2022-10-09T04:34:35.663-07:00Comments on In the Writing Groove: Rules and WritersKathy Lynn Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15776248628873347107noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-70551698843325305632011-10-20T13:21:26.989-07:002011-10-20T13:21:26.989-07:00I'm old school! Start with an outline! Great...I'm old school! Start with an outline! Great post!Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15141959486950915798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-31056852981051252932011-10-10T13:11:00.083-07:002011-10-10T13:11:00.083-07:00I agree w/Donna. One has to know the rules to be a...I agree w/Donna. One has to know the rules to be able to break them properly, (or at least entertainingly). I do however, enjoy a book with lack of structure and a great plot to the other way around. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-33456875039712629512011-10-08T21:19:50.830-07:002011-10-08T21:19:50.830-07:00I came to your blog through twitter.
It seems that...I came to your blog through twitter.<br />It seems that the point of the rules are, as you say, guidelines, but also a jumping off point - here is a structure, but then, where do I have to change (evolve?) that structure to serve the story I'm trying to tell, ant The Time Travelers Wife is a great example of that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-75337194886353672692011-10-07T16:39:21.607-07:002011-10-07T16:39:21.607-07:00Oh no, we're supposed to have a plot? I feel a...Oh no, we're supposed to have a plot? I feel a rewrite coming on...Kirkus MacGowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16316327747388017640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-20261628048661501732011-10-07T13:20:45.686-07:002011-10-07T13:20:45.686-07:00I say, do whatever works to serve your story. Howe...I say, do whatever works to serve your story. However, I also find that when a story is not working at all, it's usually because the writer ignored a lot of most basic rules--having a plot, for example.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-51376605019276964492011-10-07T09:57:39.456-07:002011-10-07T09:57:39.456-07:00I always tell my students to break the rules with ...I always tell my students to break the rules with intent, never through ignorance.rwwgreenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07256634291144393792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-74360564292761722902011-10-07T09:21:45.889-07:002011-10-07T09:21:45.889-07:00I'm normally a rule follower, with some except...I'm normally a rule follower, with some exceptions. I hate the no adverbs rule. If there were enough strong verbs in the language, adverbs never would have been invented. I find myself more and more writing in sentence fragments. Then I can't help going back to complete them. Following the rules is in my nature, sigh. Fighting. My. Nature. Success!Sher A. Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067955594103356768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-7199414176829355422011-10-06T20:22:51.709-07:002011-10-06T20:22:51.709-07:00We're told not to lie. Would you lie to protec...We're told not to lie. Would you lie to protect your family from danger? We're told not to drive over the center line. Would you do it if you knew you'd avoid an accident? We're told not to eat fatty foods. The human body needs fat to produce certain hormones. <br /><br />Nothing is black and white. There is a time and place for everything and your psost does a great job showing this. Thanks!Kirkus MacGowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16316327747388017640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-88643096872246620802011-10-06T00:33:46.921-07:002011-10-06T00:33:46.921-07:00I'm afraid I tend to be one of the rule breake...I'm afraid I tend to be one of the rule breakers. Not because I don't believe in rules, but because I've read so many books through the years that follow them...to the letter...and they get boring after awhile. You might not know exactly how the author is going to write rule number two, but you know it's going to be something to throw a wrench into the mix. And then it's going to turn around, followed by wrench number three, etc...<br /><br />I believe that some rules must be adhered to, but to follow a cookie cutter formula, simply because publishers and editors have decided this is the only way to write an acceptable story... I just can't always do it. I write the story I feel needs to be told. If it doesn't have X number of conflicts, I'm not going to add an extra one just to conform to industry standards.<br /><br />Time will tell if I'm doing the right thing, but just because a rule exists doesn't mean it's always applicable. Unless it's the rule that advises you to have plenty of brownies on hand for those PMS moments. Unless, of course, prison happens to be on your top ten list of future vacation destinations. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-794050460376550622011-10-05T09:59:30.045-07:002011-10-05T09:59:30.045-07:00Well said. But it doesn't hurt to know what th...Well said. But it doesn't hurt to know what the rules are. Now if we could just get everyone to agree on that!Donna K. Weaverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15763832177263927311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-26756681836325610722011-10-05T08:22:26.761-07:002011-10-05T08:22:26.761-07:00Amen. And true not just to writing, but other fiel...Amen. And true not just to writing, but other fields as well.<br /><br />~Caroline PointerCarolinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02440331516671118735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-22494737207951227482011-10-05T07:40:30.920-07:002011-10-05T07:40:30.920-07:00Linda - You're a brave soul. You followed your...Linda - You're a brave soul. You followed your instinct for the sake of the story. That's a perfect example of the "rules" issue I was talking about. Sometimes a story must be told in a way adverse to all the perceptions of what is acceptable. Good for you. I also admire that you researched the best way to do it. Thanks so much for your comment.Kathy Lynn Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15776248628873347107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-21155919792183931342011-10-05T03:51:00.098-07:002011-10-05T03:51:00.098-07:00The problem, I think, is that people hear rules, a...The problem, I think, is that people hear rules, and they start thinking they HAVE to follow them. Moreover, they may ever fear if they don't follow them to the letter, they're not going to get published. Some of the perceived "rules" come out of a desire to educate people into what writers do wrong most often. The thing that drives me crazy is when people say, "You have to understand the rules to break them" because it often isn't true. If you break them, then they tell you that you can't break them because it's a rule.<br /><br />My book is omni. It's actually a natural viewpoint for me. But for many years I bought into what all the craft books said, none of which was true. When I decided to use it, I researched, read books for it, determined to learn do it right. I wasn't sure I was on the right track, so I posted a chapter for crit. And 10 writers flame-throwed me for breaking the "Never use omni" rule. They never once mentioned whether I'd done it well -- it was because I'd broken what they'd perceived as a rule. No one seemed to care that there were writers on the market selling today who write in omni. The only thing that mattered was that rule.<br /><br />Afterwards, I read David Gerrold's book Worlds of Wonder. It was a refreshing book because it was about the possibilities of writing, not about rules. Guess what some of the reviews commented on? His lack of rules. Sigh.Linda Maye Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07203020058437093901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-71664538225293120982011-10-02T20:45:10.602-07:002011-10-02T20:45:10.602-07:00Beverly - I totally agree with you, that it should...Beverly - I totally agree with you, that it should not be willy-nilly but for a reason and well-done to boot. On the other hand, a writer can follow all the rules and still put out something that it is painful to read. For me, it's about weighing the pros and cons and finding an acceptable balance. Don't NOT do something just because someone tells you it's against the rules. I really appreciate your thoughtful opinion.Kathy Lynn Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15776248628873347107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-48312691657118483912011-10-02T19:59:51.710-07:002011-10-02T19:59:51.710-07:00Landon - you are always a source of positivity! I ...Landon - you are always a source of positivity! I love that about you. Deciding to go your own way, or what works for you is definitely the best thing to do.Kathy Lynn Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15776248628873347107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-71420196300112929822011-10-02T19:43:52.041-07:002011-10-02T19:43:52.041-07:00Rules are there to protect the reader, IMO, more t...Rules are there to protect the reader, IMO, more than the writer. Sometimes writers want to trash/forget the rules not because they are wildly creative (although they might like to think so), but because they are <em>lazy.</em><br /><br />I knew an aspiring memoir writer who switched from first person to third narrative, and from past tense to present, <em>in the same paragraph.</em> Of course, her work was a bloody, unreadable mess that gave a reader vertigo before s/he was five sentences in. If we as writers choose to break rules, we had better understand what rules we are breaking, and have very good reasons for breaking them.Beverly Diehlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00392288953821757887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-56245942252469561772011-10-02T19:31:08.060-07:002011-10-02T19:31:08.060-07:00Landon - you are always a source of positivity! I ...Landon - you are always a source of positivity! I love that about you. Deciding to go your own way, or what works for you is definitely the best thing to do.Kathy Lynn Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15776248628873347107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6679290097608453213.post-54048848746365241542011-10-02T15:08:24.691-07:002011-10-02T15:08:24.691-07:00What a great post and what great writing! You spea...What a great post and what great writing! You speak the truth for so many of us creative types who seek normalcy within the boundaries of the "regular" world. I think we each end up breaking the rules that aren't important to us and finding a comfort level that allows us to have personal satisfaction. Success is often found when you make a decision about exactly what works for you, personally. Other people's rules can be helpful, but need not be set in stone.<br /><br />Go Red!Landonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16537257930120743790noreply@blogger.com