What are the rules of writing? Are there rules? Are rules made to be broken? Every writer lists the rules differently:
William Faulkner
I would say to get the character in your mind. Once he is in your mind, and he is right, and he’s true, then he does the work himself.
Martin Amis
- You write the book you want to read. That’s my rule.
- You have to have a huge appetite for solitude.
Zadie Smith
Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet.
Scott Turow
I think that you must be aware of the existing conventions. That does not mean that you cannot reinvent them in your own way.
Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.
~Henry Miller
Anne Rice
I don’t think there are any universal rules. I really don’t. We each make our own rules, and we stick to our rules and we abide by them, but you know rules are made to be broken. If any rule you hear from one writer doesn’t work for you, disregard it completely. Break it.
Andrew Motion
- Decide when in the day (or night) it best suits you to write, and organize your life accordingly.
- Think big and stay particular.
Kurt Vonnegut
Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
Neil Gaiman
The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. So write your story as it needs to be written. I’m not sure that there are any other rules.
Henry Miller
Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.
Don’t worry even a little bit whether your book is on trend. All the trends will be trending differently by the time you get published, so it’s pointless to overthink it while you’re writing.
~Rainbow Rowell
George Orwell
- Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
- Never use a long word where a short one will do.
- If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
- Never use the passive where you can use the active.
- Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
- Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Rainbow Rowell
Don’t worry even a little bit whether your book is on trend. All the trends will be trending differently by the time you get published, so it’s pointless to overthink it while you’re writing.
Joyce Carol Oates
Best tip for writers: not to listen to any silly tips for writers.
The rules of writing definitely exist. Everyone follows some rules, whether they admit it or not. These rules may differ for each writer, and some writers may not verbalize them, or even notice them. But every writer follows rules. Just examine his or her writing to see it.
If you feel a bit lost, have a look at the rules of others, and ask yourself: “What are my rules of writing?”