Attending the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland, one of the things you learn early on is that there are any number of rules to writing news, features, sports, an op/ed and so on. However, as instructors dashed future military journalists hopes on the rocks, they also added this tidbit along with the gallons of red ink and dreaded ‘EIF’ errors: “There are no hard and fast rules.”
Wait, wha?
Now, you know as well as I do that there certainly are hard and fast rules to writing both fiction and nonfiction, especially if you want to get said work published. For instance, in order to tell a story, I probably have to tell it in the language of my audience. I probably need to have some command of that language. I also probably need to get the thing into a form that goes from point A to point B. There are others you can name off. Those rules cover mechanics and fundamentals. Both are are the foundation.
Really, the ideas the instructors are trying to pass are probably, to use a cliché, more along the lines of, “There is more than one way to skin a cat.” (And if you’re a cat lover, regrets). And I believe the lessons I learned in DINFOS to be also true about writing fiction:
- Strong almost involuntary mechanics
- Fundamentals at every turn where they are necessary
- A beginning, a middle and an end
- Research. Dig. Research. Dig. Find the thing no one else will get
- Do it over and over and over again
- Write a good story
That is, there’s more than one way to get the protagonist out of the fire. There’s more than one way to get the starship out of warp. More than one way to get Superman back to the Fortress of Solitude.and what those instructors were probably saying is that one student will tell a different story about the post photographer than another. But fundamentals, mechanics and a good story always have to be there.
So, I’m curious about your hard and fast rules. What are they? Do you have a list? If you have, say, three, list them for me here and share with the 100 or so others who peek in at the blog.
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In addition to the good ones you already mentioned, I have a couple more you might want to consider.
- Never underestimate the intelligence of your readers. Both parties will enjoy yourselves more in the end if you treat them with respect.
- Accuracy brevity and clarity. KISS. repeat if necessary.
- Listen to your editors and peers in the post writing process, feedback is not criticism. Seek it always.
- You are only as good as your next deadline.
- There is nothing scarier than a blank piece of paper.
My most imporant rule is to read what I’ve written out loud. Mistakes, awkward constructions, and lapses in common sense will cry out louder than that cat you’re skinning. And if you, as the author, have trouble skipping blithely from word to word, chances are your reader will give up and go to the mall instead.
Amy, owner of a very skinny cat
Maintain consistent POV; don’t switch between first and second person.
Avoid using conjunctive adverbs, such as however, to start a sentence.
Keep bulleted items parallel.
… or just mark them “For Effect” (DINFOS style).