My daughter was worn out last weekend from being out late the night before. She was about to have another late evening, due to a friend’s party. Since she’s eight years old, I decided it would be a good idea for her to have a little quiet time. At this age, getting tired means getting our feelings hurt and crying—not a fun thing to do at a party.
“I need you to go upstairs and lie down,” I said. I was really very stern.
She nodded, pigtails bouncing.
Twenty minutes later, she brings a pair of scissors downstairs and puts them in the craft drawer. She puts a water glass in the sink and heads back to the stairs.
“I thought,” I said with what I felt was admirable control, “that I asked you to go lie down.”
“You did. But I decided it would be a good time to clean my room. It really needed it.”
It did. And her room looked absolutely immaculate.
She had not followed directions. But I was pleased with the results and so I let it go.
Editors have rules, too. There are things they’d rather not see a lot of. Many of them I agree with—I’ve no desire to see a big back story dump in a book. I don’t like pages filled up with no white spaces (which indicates a lack of dialogue.) I don’t enjoy reading a bunch of passive voice.
But some rules are made to be broken. I’m a fan of prologues. Especially campy prologues. I had absolutely no problem submitting my last couple of books with big old prologues at the beginning. No problem at all.
The editors? Well, they knew I wasn’t following directions. But they were pleased with the results and let it go.
Do you disregard different writing ‘rules’ when you write or submit? Which ones?
Elizabeth – sometimes rules really are made to be broken. When they are, a greater good can come from the result. And I think some of the best stories have come from breaking what are supposed to be inviolate rules. I think if I break a rule, it’s that in my mysteries, the body doesn’t appear right away. I usually let the reader get to know the characters for a few chapters first, because I want the reader to really know them before the murder happens. It seems to work out, even though the murder is “supposed” to happen early in the novel.
Margot, that’s an interesting comment. I recently read another mystery in which the murder didn’t happen until almost halfway through. It was part of a series, and in the previous two, the murders happened fairly early in the books. It didn’t change my enjoyment of the book at all – in fact, it kept me reading wondering how and when the murder was going to happen.
I guess this is another vote for breaking the rules!
I am a contradiction. I believe in followng rules (I am a structure kind of girl)and try to follow them in writing and in life but…I usually bend as many rules as can just because…not laws, just rules. So far, so good.
Rules, shmules. Sometimes I like to write in short, choppy sentence fragments. So what? Editors can either like it. Or not. Whatever. Not my problem. Unless they balk. Then I transform my prose into wonderful, flowing, descriptive sentences, sure to please them.
Or not.
There are rules? Did I miss the memo? That’s what happens when you think you’re writing a mystery but it turns out to be a romance and you’ve never even read a romance.
I write with my voice; I write what I want to read. But I listen to my editor. Sometimes we “discuss” suggestions. So far, we’ve found solutions that keep us both (or at least me, anyway) happy.
The biggest “rule” I break is usually the one nobody understands. Using the word “was” is NOT passive voice. It is past tense. I agree it’s better to show than tell, so saying “He was scared” is boring. But it’s not passive voice.
Like Alan, I’m a fan of choppy sentences and sentence fragments for certain characters. It’s part of their voice and tone. I’m hoping editors will agree :)
I think that’s what I’m learning right now–which rules I can break and how. It’s different for me since I’m pre-pubbed. I do love prologues, though, and use them often. I enjoy backstory and commentary too, but I know better know that to put too much of either in on place.
I’m just at the stage of working toward being published. I find your posts and comments very helpful. Thanks! There is so much to learn. I have a tendency, as Terry Odell said, to use the word “was” also, but I’m wondering if,for me, it’s not more cultural than grammar.
Margot–Definitely! And I think you mentioned that you use a good deal of foreshadowing to let the reader know who your intended victim is. I think that satisfies the rules and the reader.
Ingrid–We’re rule-breakers!
I do believe in following laws and traffic regulations, but not rules for writing.
Well, perhaps I should? But no, I don´t really believe publishers prefer writers who always adhere to all the rules.
It is quite clear in my online writing course that all the interesting writers break rules whenever the rules don´t make sense.
Journaling Woman–I’m usually a rule follower in life. I think most mystery writers have a well-developed desire for order. But bending the rules can be fun, as you mentioned!
Alan Orloff–How very Hemingway of you! It worked for him, didn’t it? Choppy sentences are great for action stories, anyway. And I’m the queen of sentence fragments. Love them.
Terry Odell–Oh yes…keeping the editor happy is a must. I *love* my campy prologues. But if an editor doesn’t, they’re outta there. Money talks…to me, anyway. :) The idea of paying back my advance is not a pretty one.
Jemi Fraser–I think that most of them will. After all, it’s more conversational sounding and natural.
Sometimes, especially when you’re in the groove of writing, it’s best to forget the rules and just write. Later, in the editing phase, you can decide what you want to do about those shattered rules.
Helen
Straight From Hel
My editor was initially very strict with me about breaking rules, and rightfully so, because I was an wanton, irresponsible literary criminal when it came to that, not paying heed to proper grammar and calling it my “style.” She insisted I learn how to write correctly first and then as I gained experience perhaps “bending” a rule here and there KNOWINGLY for emphasis can SOMETIMES be acceptable (smile). So now even thought we still sometimes go head to head over some of my forays into the “broken rule” arena, I get to win and my “style” is allowed to stay in the book.
Marvin D Wilson
Kristen–I know what you mean. I think as long as *they* know that *we* know the rules (and followed them nicely in our query letter and in other ways) then we can break a few. The only real no-no that I carefully follow is the word count. These publishers just don’t have the money to print out really long books (longer than their stated desired word count.)
Helen–That’s true. I write to please myself in the first draft and to please my editor in the second.
Marvin–I can see you being a rebel! But you *know* the rules–you’re an editor yourself. I bet you can get away with breaking a lot of them.
Judy–I’m glad you’re finding them helpful. Best of luck with your writing!
And–*small world*. My husband is from Bham and we lived there 7 years after we got married. Now we’re in the Charlotte area and we love to get take-out from Harpers before the symphony plays in South Park! Great restaurant.
I agree with Helen! I think writing freely is positive and creative. Going back to adhere to rules feels friendlier on a second draft. I think I’d get bogged down by an internal editor if I used it from the get-go.
Elizabeth! I enjoy your blog a lot. I don’t always comment, but I’m a big fan. Thanks for another great topic to ponder.
Dorte–That is so true. And they can write longer books than the rest of us and get away with that, too.
I tried to quit school in Grade One. I figured that I already had learned how to read and what was the rest about anyway. And I believe to this day I was right. Why did I try and quit? Because people keep telling me what to do and I don’t get it! So, I guess that means I break the rules. But maybe not – because the rules aren’t that strict – they are more like guidelines and I can stretch the ones I want to and use the others like staging until the building is up and good – then I kick down the staging and have a party. Yay!
Jan–You can make the rules work for you! I can just imagine your parents telling you that you had to stay enrolled in first grade…
Stacy–You’re so right. It’s never good to mess with the creative process!
And thanks so much, Stacy! I really appreciate your coming by and your comments. :)