Rules & Writing

Once in a while I hear something about what a writer should or should not be doing and it makes me want to tear out my hair.

Yes, you should write in understandable, preferably grammatically correct English (or whatever language you write in). But hey, sometimes you have to sacrifice grammar, especially in dialogue, so even that's debatable.

But you know what, we're not mathematicians. A + B does not always equal C. Sometimes it equals X and sometimes A & B aren't even together, or if they are, they're also with D & Y.

Writing a story isn't about following a formula no matter what people might say. If it was, everyone who ever wanted to write a story would sit down, plug in the correct bits and pieces and wallah, they'd have a story. Heck there are even story generators out there on the Internet. While they're fun to play with, how many books do you think have been written this way?

In the end, writers - working writers, aspiriting writers, even hobby writers - are all artists. I don't mean we have to put on a beret and start living artistic lifes, though you can if that's what rocks your boat. It's not about props. It's about what we do. Writing is a creative endeavour and creativity needs freedom to blossom.

In art, rules are flexible things, open to interpretation. So interpret them your way, with your voice. Tell your story.