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How do published authors get away with it?
- Thread starter Trick
- Start date
" rules are for idiots."
Is that a rule?
I . . . . err, I wouldn't suggest making it into, y'know . . . . into a real ruley rule, for yourself. Unless you need to. Y'know?
Ireth
Myth Weaver
Rules are more like guidelines anyway, amirite?
Rules are more like guidelines anyway, amirite?
I'll buy that. Even then, rules & guidelines are personal and somewhat unique to each author in terms of those they choose to implement & combine to form a desired style.
The rule set Elmore Leonard worked with worked for Elmore Leonard. Several of his rules found their way onto my personal list, but mine still differs in some respects.
And yes, we should all be willing to break our own personal set of rules if we're doing so consciously and for good reason.
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Trick
Auror
I agree with you about reaching a level of skill where rules can be broken and be broken well. However, IMHO, this writer used the mirror scene exactly how any newbie would. There was no deeper reason for it, no crafty, new employment of an old standard. The character just stood in front of a mirror and (via 3rd PPOV) described his appearance, commenting on how he barely recognized his reflection because he was getting old... It stood out like a sore thumb. To be honest, if it had either been necessary or done in a way that revealed something about the character other than his appearance I would have applauded. This book is fraught with small problems like this that don't work for me as a reader and bother me as a fledgling writer.
But, like TAS said, the story is good and that can make all the difference.
Sorry if this is almost completely unrelated to the original post, but I can't resist ranting a bit about rules - or at least explaining my point of view (such as it is at the moment).
I believe that in order to be a good writer, you need to understand how your readers process the information you present them. This will help you decide what information to present and how. Once you understand this, you don't need any rules, you'll just write like all the muses of the world are channeling their creative energies through you.
Unfortunately, reaching that level of understanding is not easy, and that's where the rules come in.
The rules are shortcuts to, or replacements for, actual understanding.
I believe that most of the basic/common rules of writing are set up in such a way, that if you follow them you will produce an acceptable result. Your texts will be written in such a way that your readers will be able to process them without effort or displeasure. Your story may not necessarily be any good, but at least you won't throw your readers off by "bad" writing.
Sticking with the rules allows you to satisfy some kind of lowest common denominator when it comes to writing acceptable prose.
I don't necessarily believe in sticking to the rules for their own sake, but I believe that doing so it a good step towards the greater goal of increasing your understanding of how readers process text.
I believe that in order to be a good writer, you need to understand how your readers process the information you present them. This will help you decide what information to present and how. Once you understand this, you don't need any rules, you'll just write like all the muses of the world are channeling their creative energies through you.
Unfortunately, reaching that level of understanding is not easy, and that's where the rules come in.
The rules are shortcuts to, or replacements for, actual understanding.
I believe that most of the basic/common rules of writing are set up in such a way, that if you follow them you will produce an acceptable result. Your texts will be written in such a way that your readers will be able to process them without effort or displeasure. Your story may not necessarily be any good, but at least you won't throw your readers off by "bad" writing.
Sticking with the rules allows you to satisfy some kind of lowest common denominator when it comes to writing acceptable prose.
I don't necessarily believe in sticking to the rules for their own sake, but I believe that doing so it a good step towards the greater goal of increasing your understanding of how readers process text.
Yeah, I might've gotten a little off topic in my rumble there.
Still, in my opinion, whenever rules come up, I get the impression that they're more about staying off the bottom than about climbing to the top. If you want to climb to the top, at some point you need to stop thinking about the rules. Whether or not the mirror scene is cliche is ultimately a small factor in the grand scheme of the book, and it only matters to people who keep a checklist because they're looking for quick indicators that an author is lacking in skill.
Yes, it's a low skill scene. It's creatively lazy. A lot of editors and readers would take it as a red flag for the book's quality.
But to me, that "red flag" is so far from being the important element of a book that it's hardly worth knowing by comparison.
Writing rules shouldn't be viewed as strict "must or must not" activities necessary for good writing. After all, what is considered good writing is subjective.
Rather, think of writing rules as a way to learn from those that have come before. Think of them as methods and techniques you can practice and use for experimentation. It's a way to begin the study of craft, just like any other endeavor. You couldn't just wake one morning and decide to be a world class chef. Could you? Doubtful.
How do you learn to cook? By following recipes or the instructions of established chefs. Maybe you read their books. Maybe you watch them on TV. You learn about flavors & different combinations of foods. You learn cooking techniques which generally apply & you learn about methods specific to certain cultural cuisines.
Somewhere along the way, given enough time & earnest effort, you begin to develop your own style. Maybe it's a fusion of ethnic dishes with foods in your local mainstream. Maybe it's unique combinations of foods specific to you. Whatever it is, the process of jumping forth from what others have built is the evolution of style.
Writing is no different. Rules are there for a reason. To experiment with & to learn from those that have come before us. To study what has worked and resonated.
However, to become the master, you'll eventually need to break away and head off in your own direction. Artists regarded as masters rarely appeal to their audiences because they are similar to another.
However, there's also nothing wrong with simply being a good cook. It depends on what you want.
Rather, think of writing rules as a way to learn from those that have come before. Think of them as methods and techniques you can practice and use for experimentation. It's a way to begin the study of craft, just like any other endeavor. You couldn't just wake one morning and decide to be a world class chef. Could you? Doubtful.
How do you learn to cook? By following recipes or the instructions of established chefs. Maybe you read their books. Maybe you watch them on TV. You learn about flavors & different combinations of foods. You learn cooking techniques which generally apply & you learn about methods specific to certain cultural cuisines.
Somewhere along the way, given enough time & earnest effort, you begin to develop your own style. Maybe it's a fusion of ethnic dishes with foods in your local mainstream. Maybe it's unique combinations of foods specific to you. Whatever it is, the process of jumping forth from what others have built is the evolution of style.
Writing is no different. Rules are there for a reason. To experiment with & to learn from those that have come before us. To study what has worked and resonated.
However, to become the master, you'll eventually need to break away and head off in your own direction. Artists regarded as masters rarely appeal to their audiences because they are similar to another.
However, there's also nothing wrong with simply being a good cook. It depends on what you want.
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