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    No Mistakes Writing, Volume IV: Writing Rules for People Who Don't Like Rules
    No Mistakes Writing, Volume IV: Writing Rules for People Who Don't Like Rules
    No Mistakes Writing, Volume IV: Writing Rules for People Who Don't Like Rules
    Ebook74 pages40 minutes

    No Mistakes Writing, Volume IV: Writing Rules for People Who Don't Like Rules

    By Giacomo Giammatteo

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    About this ebook

    Writing rules have been around for almost as long as writers, and people have been breaking those rules for almost as long. I don't believe in rules, though I do think a few guidelines are good.

    The guidelines in this book don't guarantee a best seller, but if you follow them, I think you'll have a book that makes an interesting read.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGiacomo Giammatteo
    Release dateNov 26, 2019
    ISBN9781949074932
    No Mistakes Writing, Volume IV: Writing Rules for People Who Don't Like Rules
    Author

    Giacomo Giammatteo

    Giacomo Giammatteo lives in Texas, where he and his wife run an animal sanctuary and take care of 41 loving rescues. By day, he works as a headhunter in the medical device industry, and at night, he writes.

    Read more from Giacomo Giammatteo

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      Book preview

      No Mistakes Writing, Volume IV - Giacomo Giammatteo

      1

      Writing Rules for People Who Don’t Believe in Rules on Writing

      If you’ve read many of my blogs or thoughts on writing, you know that I’ve often said I don’t believe in writing rules or rules on writing. That’s true for the most part because some people are so talented they can break rules and not only get away with it but make reading more interesting in the process. But for the rest of us—the ones not so talented—there are a few rules it may be wise to adhere to. 

      I’ll list my own rules, but I don’t think of these as rules so much as guidelines. 

      And one more thing to note: I have read many rules that other writers have cited, but usually, the writers make a brief statement with no accompanying explanation. I’ve listed a few of them below. (For the record, I do not agree with these rules.)

      Other Writers’ Rules

      • Avoid prologues.

      • There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or video games for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall.

      • Work on one thing at a time until finished.

      • Fiction that isn’t an author’s personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn’t worth writing for anything but money.

      • Never use the word then as a conjunction–we have and for this purpose. Substituting then is the lazy or tone-deaf writer’s non-solution to the problem of too many ands on the page.

      Let’s take a moment to review those. 

      Avoid prologues (Elmore Leonard). 

      Don’t get me wrong. I love Elmore Leonard. He not only wrote great books, but one of my favorite TV series (Justified) was based on one of his books. Several movies as well. But just because I like his writing doesn’t mean I agree with him regarding rules.

      Now we’ll get back to analyzing the rules. 

      Why should you avoid prologues? I’ve read more than a few fantasy books and loved the prologues. I’ve also read some I haven’t liked. 

      There’s nothing wrong with prologues—if they’re done right. As much as I like Elmore Leonard, I think he got it wrong with this advice. 

      There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or video games for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall. (Stephen King)

      The second rule is nothing more than one writer’s display of a lack of discipline. If you need solitude to function, fine. But some people are able to write better with noise and distractions. I listen to music continually while I write, and I usually have more than a handful of animals pestering me because we have an animal sanctuary. I’d go nuts trying to work as King suggested. 

      So while King may go insane trying to accomplish much in my environment, the reverse is also true. Better advice is to write when and where you’re comfortable.

      Work on one thing at a time until finished. (Henry Miller)

      This is another ridiculous statement. Perhaps that person can’t work on more than one project, but that doesn’t mean others can’t. Again, I’d go off the deep end if I didn’t have at least four books going at once. Right

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