'Ten rules for writing fiction' (The Guardian newspaper)

bertrigby · Feb 20, 2010

The Guardian have a fascinating collection of writing rules from some amazing writers (Atwood, Tremain, Hare, Mantel, Winterson, James, Gaiman and many more!).

Most of the writers advocate wide reading, apart from Will Self, who tells us to 'Stop reading fiction – it's all lies anyway'. They nearly all emphasise discipline, valuing your own creativity and taking long walks!

I like this advice from Hilary Mantel, whose work Wolf Hall was so enriched by this: 'Description must work for its place. It can't be simply ornamental. It *usually works best if it has a human element; it is more effective if it comes from an implied viewpoint, rather than from the eye of God. If description is coloured by the viewpoint of the character who is doing the noticing, it becomes, in effect, part of character definition and part of the action.'

What do you find the most interesting 'rule of writing'? Any you really disagree with?

Stunted · Feb 20, 2010

Why would you let a newspaper give you rules about fiction?

Priene · Feb 20, 2010

Stunted said:
Why would you let a newspaper give you rules about fiction?

It's famous and skillful writers giving advice about how they work. Why wouldn't I listen to them?

Raphee · Feb 20, 2010

Good link, thanks.

Interesting to note the rules most writers mention.

seun · Feb 20, 2010

Every writer, beginner or experienced, could do A LOT worse than read the advice on that link. Some great stuff there.

bertrigby · Feb 20, 2010

Stunted said:
Why would you let a newspaper give you rules about fiction?

Some of my all time favourite authors give their advice on writing and reveal how they go about creating their masterpieces. What's not to enjoy?

Obviously you have to take the word 'rules' with a pinch of salt. For a start, all the writers contradict each other. I think one thing becomes clear through the article - that every writer has a different way of working. The implication is that you need to find what works for you and above all 'love what you do'.

There are some really useful tips in there, though, especially for new writers. For example, I've been really guilty of over using adverbs in the past, and I know that's something to look out for in my current work.

Ton Lew Lepsnaci · Feb 20, 2010

Thanks for the link!!!!!!!!!!! Well, I can get away with exclamation marks here at least.

Krintar · Feb 20, 2010

Stunted said:
Why would you let a newspaper give you rules about fiction?

A lot of journalists are very experienced at writing fiction.

seun · Feb 20, 2010

Stunted: Why would you let a newspaper give you rules about fiction?

The advice from writers such as Roddy Doyle, Elmore Leonard, Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood is first rate.

Sieglinde · Feb 20, 2010

I'm bored to hell with 'said' and using the same word too much when there are alternatives is a basic flaw even in school. I always try to write more colorful than that. And I hate when a character has no description. You don't need to go into Balzac's 2-page-per-character descriptons, but 1-2 paragraphs are ok.

What I tend to skip are plot-stopping chapters where the writer gets into philosophical shit while his characters are in the biggest mess.

LuckyH · Feb 20, 2010

Whether you’re writing your first or fifty-first book, there will be suitable advice for you from those respected authors.

I liked the frequent mention of reading your work aloud to judge its voice appeal, I always do that myself on the second or third edit and when something jars I put a red line in the margin, but keep on reading right to the end. There will often be a red line on every page, but usually just the substitution or removal of a single word solves the problem.

I think this is the best link I’ve ever seen on a writing forum.

Kathleen42 · Feb 20, 2010

Writing is work. It's also gambling. You don't get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but *essentially you're on your own. *Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don't whine.

Oh how I love Atwood. Best list ever.

Thank you for posting this. I was expecting something boring and a bit stuffy, and got the complete opposite.

Joe Moore · Feb 20, 2010

It seems counterproductive to impose rules on creativity. And yet, I think a better way to look at it is to ask what the consequences would be to not take seriously that great collection of "rules"?

Paul · Feb 20, 2010

Great post/ link. Thanks Bertrigby

Albannach · Feb 20, 2010

Leonard's advice is classic, of course. However, Neil Gaiman is the best. Love his advice.

seun · Feb 20, 2010

Sieglinde said:
I'm bored to hell with 'said' and using the same word too much when there are alternatives is a basic flaw even in school.

How's that working out for you?

EclipsesMuse · Feb 20, 2010

Great advice. Thanks for the link!

EclipsesMuse · Feb 20, 2010

Sieglinde said:
I'm bored to hell with 'said' and using the same word too much when there are alternatives is a basic flaw even in school. I always try to write more colorful than that. And I hate when a character has no description. You don't need to go into Balzac's 2-page-per-character descriptons, but 1-2 paragraphs are ok.

Have you stopped to ask why most published novelists advise against these things? If you thind said is being used too much you may have an issue with putting the dialogue tag in too much.

Two paragraphs of description? All together? Yeah, I'd be skimming at that point.

Wayne K · Feb 20, 2010

Stunted said:
Why would you let a newspaper give you rules about fiction?

Because they're so good at it.

trocadero · Feb 20, 2010

That is a really interesting read. I really enjoyed it. A couple of my favorites:

Colm Toibin: If you have to read, to cheer yourself up read biographies of writers who went insane.

Philip Pullman: Get lucky. Stay lucky.

Geoff Dyer: Beware of clichés. Not just the clichés that Martin Amis is at war with. There are clichés of response as well as expression. There are clichés of observation and of thought – even of conception. Many novels, even quite a few adequately written ones, are clichés of form which conform to clichés of expectation.

Margaret Atwood's are very interesting. At least they're easily achievable - I've got two sharp pencils! Actually, I don't, but they're cheap and I know where to get 'em.

Thanks for posting the link!

Stunted · Feb 20, 2010

Priene said:
It's famous and skillful writers giving advice about how they work. Why wouldn't I listen to them?

I was joking. Sorry, that was unclear.

Devil Ledbetter · Feb 20, 2010

Sieglinde said:
I'm bored to hell with 'said' and using the same word too much when there are alternatives is a basic flaw even in school.

No. It's horrid advice in school when the teacher tells the students to use as many alternatives to said as they can think of and marks them down if they don't. As long as what your characters are saying is interesting (and all of it should be), there will be no growing bored with said. However, if the dialogue is dull no amount of propping it up with "she growled furiously" will help.

If you're bored with said, the dialogue itself is the problem.

xtine · Feb 20, 2010

I find that the rules of description are spot on.

This is something you have to learn as a screenwriter early on. You can't just list attributes. It comes off much better if the props are described as the characters interact with them.

However, I still struggle with balance. Because it's NOT screenwriting. Like not putting ANY description at the front end of the prose, and sometimes my reader gets lost. You know, no "sense of place" because I still have a slugline in my mind.

Speaking of "rules" (gag) I love Alexandra Sokoloff's site on using screenwriting structure in novels.

http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com/

It really helps to know where you're going before you get there.

roonil_wazlib · Feb 20, 2010

Sieglinde said:
And I hate when a character has no description. You don't need to go into Balzac's 2-page-per-character descriptons, but 1-2 paragraphs are ok.

As a reader, if I came to a 1-2 paragraph description of a character, you can bet I'm going to skip it after the first sentence. I would much rather have the important aspects of the character's appearance told to me (i.e. things that are important to the plot) rather than a complete drawing of them. Why do we need to know the hair length, hair colour, eye colour, height, nose shape, lip size and manner of dress for the character? Does it have an impact on the story itself or are you just trying to make us see your character the way you see them?

third person · Feb 20, 2010

These kind of things are always fun. As you look at them you think about your own writing and whether you can improve in certain areas. No one said you had to tattoo them on yourself and take a cyanide pill if you don't follow every single "rule".

'Ten rules for writing fiction' (The Guardian newspaper)

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