Personal Writing Rules

I'm not late to this party, just fashionably after hours. That, and I needed to figure out what my "rules" were, because it's not something I've thought heavily on before, but it makes sense to find out what they are.

1. While there are few, if any, truly bad ideas, that doesn't mean everything is meant to be written.

2. Know what and why you're writing.

3. Just because others have done it before you doesn't mean you can or should yourself.

4. Keep yourself open to ideas from anywhere, but know when to close yourself off so you don't overload your story.

5. Popular does not equal good. Good can stand on its own.

6. Reason and/or internal logic far outweighs throwing up the horns and screaming "OH YEAH, THAT'S AWESOMESAUCE" while a metal guitar solo plays in the background.

7. Keep a small notebook handy, you never know where that fleeting idea might be able to go.

8. If a story only has so much gas to go so far, don't decide to stop and push it a few miles in the middle to get a little extra distance out of it.

9. Tropes. Trope trope, trope trope trope. Trope-a-lope. Trope-a-nope-a-dope-a-pope.

They have their place, can be fun (for some), and may help when you're stuck; but don't rely on them for all your ideas or as something you have to mimic, replicate, or follow as the rule. Tropes (as tropes) are for after the fact, not to plan for.

Opening One Liners

I posted earlier about my thoughts about first sentences and what they can (potentially) mean, not only for the rest of the story but for your chances of publication as well.

Much like my Rorschach Titles, my mind wandered to randomality and produced some first sentences to works that don't exist.

• I died the day before Valentine's Day, Feburary 13, the day before my fiance was going to propose to me in a big elaborate set-up he thought was secret but really his best friend couldn't wait to tell me about; fuck.
  
  
• When I finally found the little black cancerous blob between her two hearts, I can say with full honestly I relished bloodily ripping it from her open chest.
  
  
• She could hate her all she wanted but even Desire had to admit when her mother had a point, it was usually a pretty good one.
  
  
• I hate you; I just want you to know that up front.
  
  
• Sweet Jesus, that was one ugly baby.
  
  
• Running away went against his code, but even Adam could make expections when outnumbered eighty to one.
  
  
• It wasn't enough that the Heston Estate had thrown the largest and roudiest party they'd ever thrown since the previous evening, now they had the audacitity to have a dead body present itself as well.
  
  
• Just because one can add garlic to just about everything one cooks, really, really doesn't mean they should.