That’s great fun, as far as it goes. But taken at face value, it won’t get us published or read.
The rules of writing are really more conventions than rules: long-held traditions that have become popular and effective ways of communicating our stories to our readers. There are no Writing Police (gatekeepers aside) who will slap you into cuffs for bucking those traditions, anymore than there’s a guarantee you’ll be published if you obediently follow all the rules. Writing isn’t a dot-to-dot puzzle that must be constructed formulaically. The best of art is all about experimentation and growth–which is why we get to be wild and break a few rules. But which one?
Which Writing Rules Should You Break?
Popular advice says writers should “learn the rules, follow most of them, and break a few.” But which few? Are certain writing rules concrete while others aren’t? Are there certain rules that should be broken? It’s all so confusing. We want to be stand-outwriters. We want to follow enough rules to get past the gatekeepers. But we also want to break the right rules to make our art unique and, yes, think-outside-the-box brilliant.
So when the writing gurus tell you to be brave and break some rules, for crying out loud, which writing rules are they talking about? Because heaven forbid we choose the wrong rule to break and end up in the writer’s equivalent of solitary confinement.
This is where I tell you the million dollar secret. I am about to reveal the answer to this much pondered question. I’m going to unveil the veiled, unmask the masked, and just generally give it to you straight.
The Right Writing Rules to Break
The “right” rules to break depend entirely upon you as a reader.
Think about your own reading experiences. As a highly trained author, you no doubt read with one eye on the plot and the other on the craft. When an author strays from the beaten path and starts taking a baseball bat to the rules/conventions/traditions of the elders, which cracks of that bat make you cringe and which surprise and delight you?
Listen to Your Gut
Trust yourself as a reader—especially if you’ve educated yourself enough to read like a writer. When your gut tells you something works, even if your internal editor starts carping, pay attention.
Likely, the reason whatever authors you’re reading are able to break this particular rule is because they’re doing it purposefully and skillfully—and brilliantly. Just because they’re pulling it off doesn’t mean you’ll be able to run over to your keyboard and be equally rebellious and brilliant. But if you understand and like what they’re doing, don’t be afraid to give it a little experimental whirl.
On the other hand, if your broken rule! broken rule! klaxon starts screaming in the middle of a good book and, instead of invoking an awed How’d they do that?, your gag reflex starts hopping, don’t you dare try to break that same rule in your own writing. Listen to the gut. It’s a better writer than the head. It knows which rules need to be broken to further a story—and which rules, if broken, will only nauseate your readers.
Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! How do you decide which writing rules to break—and which are you adamant about keeping? Tell me in the comments!
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