When I was a little girl, there was nothing in #life that I wanted more than a horse. I begged, pleaded, cried, and whined for a horse. But we lived in circumstances that would not permit me to have a horse because my dad was a preacher and we moved around a lot and our house belonged to the church. This was unacceptable to me of course, and I continued my relentless pleading and guilt tripping until I finally was given riding lessons from a friend of my family and her horses. What was the moral of the story? Nothing, really, except that I was a spoiled and snotty preacher's kid who whined and cried to get her way.
In all actuality, I told that #story to prove that I can #write about whatever I want and still have a successful #blog. I can write about peas and carrots or carrots and peas and I would still have #readers as long as I write to please my readers with passion and sense.
There's a growing trend in the #writingcommunity today that is causing many #writers to believe that they must be either formally educated in order to be a good writer, or they must #follow all the #rules. What?!
I do not consider myself an expert on writing. Nor have I even come close to have cracking the book. But one thing I do know about writing is that there is no "one way" to write.
Over my years as a #reader, I've read a lot of classic #novels, best-sellers, non-sellers, pretty books, borrowed books, books without binding, books I've loved, books I've hated, and of all these #books, the one thing they've all had in common is... NOTHING!
Not one piece of literary #fiction is exactly like another. Each #author has his or her own "stamp". Every book is its own piece of literary masterpiece, which is why there are never enough books!
When someone says, "You have to do it like this..." Forget that advice and move on because there are authors who might've done it like that but there are plenty who didn't!
If you want to use adverbs, go ahead!
If you want to be highly illustrative, paint that picture.
If you want to tell but not show, guess what, plenty of other authors are right there with you!
If you want to jump from head to head or use multiple POVs, I like that, personally!
Want to use many scenes or times in your book? Do it! That's the magical thing about writing. It's YOURS!
It's okay to write the way you want to write.
THERE! I said it. I gave you permission to have creative freedom and no longer be bound by all the "rules" writers are "supposed" to follow.
I don't know who made up these "rules" that have the entire writing world in such a fuss, but it has to stop! There isn't uniqueness and creativity anymore! The imaginative mind can't be stifled by so many rules! Do you think that our early historical authors sat down and thought, "Hm... let me think about all the rules before I write..." ?? NO WAY! They just let their creative juices flow and whatever goodness came out was their masterpiece. We have to stop believing that just because one successful author writes that way means every author should. Think of your own favorite books. Who is your favorite author? Now think of why you like them and imagine them writing their biggest seller. Next time you sit down to write, imagine yourself sitting to write that book and not being stifled by the rules. You now have permission to break the rules. Go crazy. :)
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