As a teacher of writing, I’ve offered much advice and have
said many things about writing. Some of
them are even on the following list, “Writing Advice No One
Needs Again, Ever,” composed by one of my former students [excerpt below].
(Note: I am NOT the “inspiration”
teacher!) And yet, I try to always add into the mix this piece of advice: The only rule in writing is there are no
rules. (I would like to take credit for this bit of wisdom, but I stole it from
one of my teachers.)
What this means to me is that there are lots of guidelines,
and plenty of writers before us have come up with general principles and
shortcuts and “best practices” that tend to make for a better book/story. But eventually, writers have to feel free to
break those rules as needed.
Of course, the corollary to breaking the rules is that then you
also have to find your way to creating the book/story/whatever that succeeds
despite ignoring these “best practices”; you have to “make it work” (to quote Tim
Gunn on my beloved “Project Runway”). Sometimes
that means you have to experiment and study and fail for years until you get it
right. Or it means you have to be a
genius or accidentally stumble into a moment of genius. Or it means others in the mainstream don’t
understand (or appreciate) what you’re doing. It requires immense confidence
yet also immense humility.
In the end, though, art is always about knowing the rules
and yet knowing how to bend them and when to utterly break them. Listen to your teacher, but also listen to
yourself.
*****
From the article:
1. Write what you know. Imagine applying this advice to other areas of life. “Where should I go on vacation?” Stick with what you know, stay home. “Where should I study in college?” Study what you know, that way it’ll be easy. “Who should I marry?” Pick someone whose personality is just like yours. If it’s so obviously stupid in every other facet of life, why would it work for writing?