Personal Writing Rules
Mar. 23rd, 2011 01:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ravensweptI'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.
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.
no subject
on 2011-03-24 01:07 am (UTC)Two pairs of horns to this.
no subject
on 2011-03-24 01:17 am (UTC)