an_ortega

Just look at Number 1. “If you write every day, you get better at writing every day.” Well, this is true and fairly obvious. BUT… I have heard so many successful writers say that they DON’T write every day because it doesn’t fit into their lives. Some take all day on Saturday to work. Some work every other day.

 Which is really about Number 3, “Get a writing routine, and stick with it.” I just wrote to Nikki and Lisa today to tell them I needed a new routine now that my local coffee shop is closing an hour earlier. BUT… we can’t be so stuck that when something interrupts us, we can’t write.

Look at Number 8, “There doesn’t always have to be a moral to the story.” Here one just screaming for a caveat! I’ve heard so many opinions on this that I can only say, “It’s a personal choice.” While a heavy handed moral is NEVER recommended, I’ve heard critiques about stories being “pointless.”

I have certainly embraced Number 11, “Don’t settle on just one style. Try something new!” BUT… once you’re an established author, you have the question of branding and how far is too far from your known style?

So, I suppose most of these “rules” are great advice as long as you leave room for the exception. What do you think? Do you agree with these rules? Which one seems the most important?

an_ortega

I told you last week about my epic illness that required not-so-epic reading. This week was more about recovering my life after weeks of being checked out.

Playing catch up on my manuscript proved the most daunting task since I’d lost my forward momentum.  I fell into all the usual first draft traps, generally trying to follow every rule ever known to writing-man therefore miraculously producing a perfect draft in one shot. [pause for laughter]

So I gave myself a pep talk. If I needed it, AGAIN, I bet someone else out there probably needs it, too.

Picture my kitchen.

We live in a shoebox of a house with a non-type-A man (read “messy”), two kittens that love to get into everything (read “messier”), and two young children (read “disaster”). Now remember that I didn’t pick up, wash, or clean for two weeks. It was ridiculous. When I’d finally stepped in to clean, I threw away trash, cleared counters, and washed dishes.

What would you have told me if I’d stopped in the middle of all that to take a toothbrush to the grout on the counter? You’d have told me that grout is really not my priority right now and to get back to scrubbing crusted food off of pans.

When I finished that, I looked at the kitchen with everything put away, felt accomplished, and went to work on the Mt. Everest pile of laundry. A few days later, with the stuff cleared, grime on my counters really stuck out, so I scrubbed them because now it made sense.

After a few more days, I may decide the pots and pans need reorganizing and do that. (Although, it’s not likely!)

You see where I’m going with this, right? Sure you need to avoid passive voice and adverbs. Sure you shouldn’t overuse your favorite words. But mostly, in your first draft, you SHOULD get the words on the paper.  ANY words so you can scrub them clean later.

katzni

• Rules from TPTB world that says cannot be together.
• He has a girlfriend back home.
• Something in his past keeps him from getting serious.
• He lies to her to protect her, but she gets upset and doesn't trust him.