The Rules of Writing
Writers magazines and blogs are an endless source of “how to write” tips.
Don’t Wait For Inspiration
Challenge Your Characters
Embrace Idiosyncrasies
Make Them Laugh; Make Them Cry
Keep The Action Intense
Curb Melodrama
Nix The Adjectives
Don’t Leave The Reader Hanging
Always End With A Payoff
One Simple Question. Two Mistakes. Three Tips. Four Steps. Five Ingredients. Six Blunders. Seven Methods. Eight Secrets. Nine Days. Ten Ways. Twenty Master Plots. Thirty-five Rules.
Fifty Ways to lose your mind and never get around to writing anything.
I’ve certainly taken my share of free or paid courses as well as attended writing conventions, most of them interesting but not quite fulfilling. I joined a few online groups, but the most useful information I got from online courses were from the courses created by David Daniel Wallace (who has no idea I’m plugging him) centered around Character-First Writing. If you want to know more about David, here’s a link to his reasoning, which he calls his manifesto: https://danieldavidwallace.com/my-manifesto/
I also love the insights from Lisa Cron’s books, which apply — practically — neuroscience to writing a novel: Wired for Story and Story Genius.
In case you are curious, I’ve also read a large selection of books on writing from Steven King’s On Writing, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, and Ray Bradbury’s Zen & the Art of Writing to Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, Donald Maas’ Writing the Breakout Novel, and Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. All of which I can recommend, but none of which sparked my understanding of novel writing like Wired for Story.
If you prefer numbered rules, here are Robert Heinlein’s Business Habits of Writing:
You must write.
You must finish what you start.
You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order.
You must put it on the market.
You must keep it on the market until sold.
Honestly, I’m not sure about Number 3.
