Rules I Won’t Break
The sentence is music.
Make me feel something.
Rules I Might Break
Give characters names.
Only one mystery at the start of the story.
Write past the ending.
The title should do work.
Allow everything in.
Rules I Have to Break
Write in complete sentences.
Literary realism only.
No comma splices.
Times New Roman.
Rules I make up as I go
Start with a first sentence that sets your feet on fire.
Read it aloud, hear how it sounds.
Where can I get to know them a little more? Go deeper.
It’s okay to be funny.
White space, scene breaks—use it.
Follow your obsessions.
It’s okay to read, watch TV, play videogames, and just be.
There is no point in time where you once were a fake writer and then became a real one.
Read writers doing things you want to do.
Just try. See what happens.