NOTE: PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ON MY SUBSTACK at accooperwrites.substack dot com.

***

I made a note here in my Substack about a topic I wanted to discuss at a later date.

Welcome later date!

And that note said [minus the typos]…

“Why rules for writing should be more like suggestions that you consider. Toss what doesn’t work for you, as long as it creates a story that you love.”

I stand by that idea for two reasons.

Gasp!

Yes…that means I…EDIT AS I GO! Lock me up, I’ve committed a literary felony! Oh the horror!

I write a few hundred words until I get stuck. Then I move back up in my timeline [the only way to time-travel as you don’t get nauseous] and add in more details, rephrase things, etc. Sometimes, as I’m writing something, I’ll think “hey, I didn’t set that up, or I forgot to add in this or that bit”, so I’ll go back at that moment and make the changes.

Then, once I’ve added what I needed to, I go back to where I was and continue the story. Then, the next time I’m stuck, I do the same thing, over and over until it’s done.

I don’t tell stories like anyone else. Neither do you. We’re unique. Each of us have our own way of seeing the world…we’ve had different experiences and we have different personalities…all of these things play a role in some form or fashion when we write.

That’s why I suggest that as a writer you hold onto those “writing rules” loosely too. Bottom line, what works for one writer, may not work for another, so learn to trust your gut when it comes to these things.

Because if “Suzy Silverbags, Veteran Romance Writer” insists that a steamy romance ALWAYS needs a 50 page, highly detailed outline you’ll be at the point in your writing journey where you can say with confidence, “no thanks.”

Unless you’re an avid outliner, in which case I’d say go for it!

However, I don’t completely ignore writing advice either. I make a concerted effort to learn all I can about what makes good writing. I’m learning about structure, dialogue, narration, POVs, etc.

You know…All. The. Stuff. And I’m incorporating what works for me without (hopefully) negatively impacting the story.

I can safely say that I’m a “baby” writer. I’ve less than a dozen published stories (it’s best not to talk about the ones stuffed in their digital graves…they were a bit…let’s say “testy” the last time I peeked at them..better to let them rest for a while longer) so writing advice is something I’m always interested in and will never ignore.

BUT

I’ll continue to hold those “rules” loosely (thanks to 38 Special for the writing advice) until I know whether or not they are a good fit. If they are, then they’re mine for the taking…otherwise, I leave them alone. [hence the reason I ignore the “don’t edit as you go” dictum]

I expect that the longer I write stories, the more “rules” I will learn and accumulate. For now though, I keep two things in mind when sitting down to write.

1. Have fun telling the story because that will come across in the writing.

2. Trust the process. When I have no clue what will happen next, I just go back a few hundred words—maybe even a chapter or more—make any edits and go from there.

Finally [you still here? ], practicing is the best way to learn to trust your creativity. You’ve got a great story in you that only you can tell, so learn to trust that your subconscious mind knows what it’s doing, then get out of the way and let it get to writing!

What are you writing?

NOTE: PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ON MY SUBSTACK at accooperwrites.substack dot com.

***

I made a note here in my Substack about a topic I wanted to discuss at a later date.

Welcome later date!

And that note said [minus the typos]…

“Why rules for writing should be more like suggestions that you consider. Toss what doesn’t work for you, as long as it creates a story that you love.”

I stand by that idea for two reasons.

Gasp!

Yes…that means I…EDIT AS I GO! Lock me up, I’ve committed a literary felony! Oh the horror!

I write a few hundred words until I get stuck. Then I move back up in my timeline [the only way to time-travel as you don’t get nauseous] and add in more details, rephrase things, etc. Sometimes, as I’m writing something, I’ll think “hey, I didn’t set that up, or I forgot to add in this or that bit”, so I’ll go back at that moment and make the changes.

Then, once I’ve added what I needed to, I go back to where I was and continue the story. Then, the next time I’m stuck, I do the same thing, over and over until it’s done.

I don’t tell stories like anyone else. Neither do you. We’re unique. Each of us have our own way of seeing the world…we’ve had different experiences and we have different personalities…all of these things play a role in some form or fashion when we write.

That’s why I suggest that as a writer you hold onto those “writing rules” loosely too. Bottom line, what works for one writer, may not work for another, so learn to trust your gut when it comes to these things.

Because if “Suzy Silverbags, Veteran Romance Writer” insists that a steamy romance ALWAYS needs a 50 page, highly detailed outline you’ll be at the point in your writing journey where you can say with confidence, “no thanks.”

Unless you’re an avid outliner, in which case I’d say go for it!

However, I don’t completely ignore writing advice either. I make a concerted effort to learn all I can about what makes good writing. I’m learning about structure, dialogue, narration, POVs, etc.

You know…All. The. Stuff. And I’m incorporating what works for me without (hopefully) negatively impacting the story.

I can safely say that I’m a “baby” writer. I’ve less than a dozen published stories (it’s best not to talk about the ones stuffed in their digital graves…they were a bit…let’s say “testy” the last time I peeked at them..better to let them rest for a while longer) so writing advice is something I’m always interested in and will never ignore.

BUT

I’ll continue to hold those “rules” loosely (thanks to 38 Special for the writing advice) until I know whether or not they are a good fit. If they are, then they’re mine for the taking…otherwise, I leave them alone. [hence the reason I ignore the “don’t edit as you go” dictum]

I expect that the longer I write stories, the more “rules” I will learn and accumulate. For now though, I keep two things in mind when sitting down to write.

1. Have fun telling the story because that will come across in the writing.

2. Trust the process. When I have no clue what will happen next, I just go back a few hundred words—maybe even a chapter or more—make any edits and go from there.

Finally [you still here? ], practicing is the best way to learn to trust your creativity. You’ve got a great story in you that only you can tell, so learn to trust that your subconscious mind knows what it’s doing, then get out of the way and let it get to writing!

What are you writing?