Wednesday, January 4, 2017

#IWSG - Rules? I hate rules! -- And the winner is....


Insecure Writer's Support Group

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
 
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day.

Remember, the IWSG question is optional!!!
January 4 Question: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?

Alex J. Cavanaugh's awesome co-hosts for the January 4 posting of the IWSG will be Eva @ Lillicasplace, Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner, and Heather Gardner! 
 
  
Hello my friends!
 
If the blog looks a little different today, it's just because I'm trying to spruce it up for the new year. I do like this beachy-scene, but I may try a few more backgrounds before I settle.
 
***

Today's helpful IWSG optional question is 'What writing rule do you wish you'd never heard?'.

Have we met? Cause if we have, you'd know that I HATE rules.
 
HATE THEM!
 
And, as soon as you tell me the rules, I have to do everything in my power to do the opposite of those rules.
 
To rebel against them.
 
It's a curse, really. I'm not any happier about it than you are, truly.
 
Here are just a few writing rules that I'm sure you're familiar with.
 
Don't use cliches.
Don't use the word 'was' too much.
Don't use semicolons.
Don't use large fonts.
Don't use too many exclamation points.
Don't write prologues.
Don't use the word 'but' so much.
Don't write epilogues.
Don't use small fonts.
Don't tell, show.
Don't use the word 'very' at all.
Don't start a book with dialogue.
Don't use the word 'before' as much.
Don't end a book on a cliffhanger.
 
Are you catching my drift?
 
It was very clear, before I started this post. :)

It's enough to make you want to scream!!!
 
I didn't break all of these rules, but I did break a few.
 
And, truthfully; rules can be bent.
 
Point is...don't stress about the little things.
 
Keep writing.
 
Keep moving forward.

***

Want to know the winner of the 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest?
 
Head over to Alex's blog or to the IWSG website to find out and congratulate the lucky writers!
 

54 comments:

  1. Wow. Those rules just made my head spin. And I've broken a few of those, haha a.

    Happy New Year, Heather, and thanks for co-hosting this month!

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  2. Happy New year!
    Yes, I got your drift. An excellent list of don't to avoid paying attention to, because if you don't avoid paying attention to them, you might never write.
    Thank you so much for co-hosting and all the best for 2017.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat Garcia

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  3. Just write and then figure out which of those rules you can still break.
    Happy 2017, Heather!

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  4. LOL, Heather. I hear you!! If you worried about all you CAN'T do, you'd never get anything done! (And I start all my books with a prologue. Take that, Rules!) Thanks for co-hosting and supporting my rebellious nature.

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  5. There are so many. Ugh. Writers can break them. Maybe not all at once;) Thanks for co-hosting today.

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  6. Too funny! And spot on. For me, worrying about the "rules" can be paralyzing, and then nothing gets written. Thanks for co-hosting and have a wonderful new year.

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  7. Beachy is always a good thing! Oh, and that list of rules you posted, skimmed right over all of them. (Ha!) Every year there's a list of power-packed sellers that "break the rules." Sure you need to know the rules, otherwise breaking them isn't nearly as much fun! Thanks for co-hosting this month.

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  8. If nothing else, it would be severely hampering trying to remember all those while writing! For what it's worth, I love dialogue to open a book and I'm sure many best sellers do it. Throws you into the characters. Hope you have a great 2017!

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  9. Don't use a cliffhanger? Seems a ton of books break this one. Seems like they are required for books in a series.

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  10. LOL. Thanks for introducing me to rules I'm already breaking - absolutely freeing :-) Happy writing.

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  11. Top notch advice, Heather. Don't stress the little stuff or the big stuff or any stuff. Happy New Year. Hope 2017 is fabulous for you. Thanks for co-hosting!

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  12. Well you spruced up the place nicely. It looks great, and it matches your books! <3 And yes! I'm a rebel writer, too. If you remember a few years back I started The Year of the Rebel Writer. I even had a badge. LOL Yeah, I think it's okay to break some writing rules, but only after we understand how they should be used correctly. It took me a while to figure that out. ;)

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  13. Funny thing about those rules: the best novels I've ever read break them! The best authors I read break them. I know they are important guidelines but I believe we should use them as just that: guidelines. Keep it between the navigational beacons until you HAVE to deviate. Nothing wrong with a little rebellion!

    Thanks for co-hosting this month! And I do love the beach theme background :)
    Cheers,
    Jen

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  14. It's true most rules can be broken! That's why we're 'creative!' ;)

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  15. That is a really good list. I actually cringed reading them.

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  16. There are a couple of rules on your list which I agree with - but more which I think are better ignored most of the time.

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  17. Thanks so much for co-hosting this month's IWSG blog hop, Heather - I like the beachy scene too!

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  18. I hate rules too, unless they are rules that I like. I figure that if something works for me then it works. Editors might say I'm wrong, but what do they know about my writing.

    I hope no editors see this. I'm so rebellious sometimes when I'm not being a good little boy and toeing the line like a good boy should.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  19. I'm going to write a book in which I do all those things they tell you not to do. I'll have to alternate the font thing between chapters, or maybe sentences just to be really annoying. It'll be the best book ever!

    As for my current work, I broke a few of those rules as well. Rules are made to be broken, right?

    Thanks for co-hosting this month!

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  20. Ha! I'm all about the prologues and epilogues. Bah to rules. Toss them if they don't fit. :) Thanks for co-hosting!

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  21. Rules indeed can be bent. Hey fellow co-host! All curses have a gift inside them. Unless you get the Midas touch or death kiss. Those just suck.

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  22. It's funny about the prologues. I have no problem with them, writing them or reading them. :)

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  23. Ugh. I hate them to Heather. Especially prologue and epilogue rules. I say let the reader decide! Lol. Thank you for being a co-host today. :)

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  24. Don't use Arial font.
    Don't start a sentence with because. Because I said so.
    I'm with you Heather. Thanks for co-hosting! Happy New Year!

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  25. I usually wind up yelling at myself. "Just write the damned thing and forget those stupid rules!" Thanks for this list, Heather. I'm crossing them all off and forgetting them.

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  26. I love the beach scene:) Now that is a list of rules that does make me scream, often. Happy New Year and Thank you for co-hosting!

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  27. They're kind of more like guidelines. At least that's what I tell myself as I break them again and again.

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  28. Happy 2017 and thanks for co-hosting! I know I've broken a few of those rules. And will continue to break some more. It's as if they're trying to stifle our creativity.

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  29. I don't like rules either, but appreciate writing tips. If a book flows and is entertaining to read, who cares about the rules? How about every writer developing his/her own style? Would that not mean bending the rules a little bit? :-)

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  30. You know, they are good rules--especially the semicolon one. WHY!?!? JUST WHY!?!? Most useless, annoying, frustrating piece of syntax in existence. *ahem* *straightens* I suppose to each their own. ;)

    Happy 2017!

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  31. Thank you for co-hosting today's IWSG, Heather, and Happy New Year to you.
    The best part about rules is that they are meant to be broken, with style.

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  32. OMG, the semicolon thing! I about died when my publisher told me I had to take all the semicolons out of my manuscript. "People don't understand what they mean." Like, do they not teach semicolons in school any more, or...??? It's not like I use them a ton, but still, they are a functional piece of punctuation.

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  33. Ha! Oh yeah, I break and bend and twist those rules. Thanks for co-hosting today. A great way to start off the new year! :)

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  34. I didn't know about a few of those. We're not supposed to start a book with dialogue? Says who? It's getting ridiculous, already!

    Happy New Year, Heather, and thanks for co-hosting! It's a lot of work.

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  35. It it makes the rules easier to swallow I've heard the advice 'learn the rules so you can break them'. ;)

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  36. I like your blog, Heather. In fact, I wish I were there, walking on the beach thinking about how to continue in my memoir about attending college as a mother of five. I love your litany of rules to break. I've done a few of them, too. All the best in 2017.

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  37. A writing rule rebel - way to go, Heather! Happy New Year!

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  38. A lot of don'ts! I also hate the exclamation point one. I don't shower my stories with them, but I also don't not use them.

    Thanks for co-hosting!

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  39. I like breaking rules, too. Thanks for co-hosting!

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  40. So nice to meet someone else who hates rules! Yay!

    Happy 2017!

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  41. Thanks for cohosting this month. LOL at your list of "don'ts". So true. Unless we have a darn good reason to break them, we follow the rules--even the ones we hate. Of course, we could always make our own rules. Best wishes for a great 2017.

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  42. Semicolons are awesome; we should definitely use them.

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  43. Rule can have their place, but it's when they start to contradict each other that I start to get snarky.
    Happy new year and thanks for co-hosting :)

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  44. Yikes headache. I like to think of them as guidelines. Happy New Year.
    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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  45. What? Don't use semicolons?? I love semicolons!!! and here I though the problem was in how to use them correctly! Loved your list! But I have to admit I've broken all of them, except the last one. I haven't finished my first book yet. But I disagree on that one, as I remember the end of "Gone with the Wind." There are brilliant exceptions to that last rule. The rebel/rule breakers in my classroom were always fun to work with during the time I was lucky enough to have with them! Happy rule breaking in 2017.

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    Replies
    1. One rule that I forget ~ Always reread what you write before hitting publish! You can see I broke it when publishing my comment! LOL!

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  46. HEY Heather, I HATE rules too! Don't start a book with dialogue?? Are you kidding me?? I love catching the reader's attention with an out-of-the blue exclamation. That's called a hook. !!! Enjoyed your rant. Great job. Happy New Year!!!!!!
    JQ Rose

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  47. Happy New Year, Heather! I can't remember half the rules, let alone all of them. Thanks for co-hosting with me this month. Hugs. Eva,IWSG co-host #60

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  48. When I first responded to this month's IWSG prompt, I couldn't think of one rule that I didn't like. Then, as I delved deep into my inner psyche, one after another came to the surface until I was anxious and antagonized. It's all I could think about. So, I think I've repressed my feelings towards rules because I know they are necessary yet they are hard to abide by. Thanks for commiserating with me! Have a happy new year and great writing time! I'm glad I found you through the IWSG challenge. www.dianeweidenbenner.com

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  49. Hi Heather - good luck with the changes ... I don't like rules - one needs to conform, yet write with your voice - it'll be different to all others ... sameness is boring ... enjoy 2017 - cheers Hilary

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  50. I hate rules too. Learning to bend them is how we learn who we are, our true voice, and how we best express how we see the world. Thanks for co-hosting.

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  51. What a nice list of reality! :D I think it's okay to break a few of these as long as it's not all at once. Thanks for the encouragement to rebel a bit.

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  52. Yes, SO many rules. I think it's perfectly fine to bend them sometimes.

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