The Golden Rule of Writing: There are no rules. I mean it. Not one.
posted September 18, 2009 - 9:01pm
There are some obvious tips about writing that people have probably told you before. They may be so obvious, in fact, that you believed them. It’s not your fault. They can be tempting. You know these tips, the ones I’m referring to. Proper
spelling. Grammar’s a biggie. Stay on topic. But the truth is, you don’t have to do any of that, not if you don’t want to. I know you look skeptical right now, but I’m telling you, it’s true – if you want to spell “you,” as “u,” u can. If you’re a fan of slang, I ain’t gonna stop you from using it. And why can’t you switch from talking about writing, to discussing the Kanye West VMAs debacle? I mean, seriously. Talk about tactless.
My point is, you don’t have to follow all these supposed fool-proof “tips” that you’ve been told for years you must. How can this be, you ask? I’ll tell you. Because every writing tip must be preconditioned by this one BIG TIP about writing. See the caps? This is serious business. Are you paying attention? This is my big writing tip. All you have to do is follow this one rule. The Golden Rule of Writing: there are no rules. I mean it. Not one.
This may be shocking, so I’ll take up this paragraph to elaborate. I might provide some examples if I feel so inclined. We’ll see. You see what I’m saying? I don’t have to do any of this if I don’t feel like it. The point is, I do. So I will. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong when it comes to writing. I feel like I need a qualifier: I suppose there are rights and wrongs when it comes to scholarly writing, but that’s not the writing I feel like giving you tips about. The truth is, the kind of writing we do on Xomba is writing that’s meant to capture attention. And a sure-fire way to catch attention is to formulate your own style. “But I have no style!” you cry. Of course you do. Don’t think when you’re writing that you can’t do something one way because you’ve never seen it that way before. You should do something your way for precisely that reason. I can’t stress that enough. It is your differences in writing style that will make you stand out.
Do you hate quotations? Get rid of ‘em.
Phew, you say, with a sigh of relief. I hated those things. They look like apostrophes, don’t they?
Yes, I say.
What’s up with that? They’re like double apostrophes.
Yes.
Despise dialogue? You don’t need it. What about punctuation? I’ll let you in on a little secret. Ever read Kerouac? He rarely used it. Write the way that appeals most to you; not only will it come more naturally, it will help craft your style. The best writers are instantly recognizable by their style. I happen to hate third person. I’m not gonna use it. I just won’t. It’s cool if you’re a third person kind of writer, though. That’s not me. But it could be you. If you like one-word sentences, write ‘em. Write the way you want to. There is no other rule. Writing. Is. All. About. You.
Youcanevensmooshallyourwordstogetherlikethis. Really. You can. Are you scared your audience is losing interest (are you?)? Grab their attention! Yell at them! As in, “Hey, you!” Yes, you.
Whatever you decide, I will warn that you probably should be consistent. I know, I know, I said there weren’t any more rules. And really, there aren’t. The thing is, people like consistency. I don’t know why. It’s Their Thing. And you shouldn’t object, because consistency marks style, and style marks recognition. Which you want. You like recognition. Besides, who says inconsistency can’t be a consistent style? Not this writer.
This is my tip for writing. I told you it wasn't very hard. Just remember The Golden Rule: there are no rules. That’s it. The end. I’m done. (Some people may not like abrupt endings like that. But I do. So there.)
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Comments
Great Article
I like the 'all over the place' quality of the article. It really solidifies your message. Thank you!
Need somebody
I'm a guy of 18+ with very slow education career.although i was admitted into one institution{polytechnic} I graduated from secondary school since 2004 i'm now facing some problem now.when i was admitted i was given part-time course instead of full-time i apply for & this mean xtra year for me in the school.and i'm not within my state.And there is nobody to takecare of me.i'm now confused whelther to quit and go back to work for survival.'cos the money i prepared b4 is not enough to pay up the schoolfees & there is nobody to help in paying the required school fees &other charges.thanks
Good job
As i just read the tips,it is lyke i'm just release from boundage.my bro datz a 9ce rule dat can help enybody.nao A'm relieved.lof u.
Thank you, SaffireYin:). I
Thank you, SaffireYin:). I need to stop commenting on my own writing because clearly no one is getting what I'm trying to say and it's frustrating. I just feel bad for people who think there are these strict rules to follow! There aren't, not really. Anyway, congrats on your Xomba success!!
lilycole is correct
This article itself isn't creative writing; it was meant to be informative. It's accepted here on xomba. Would it be accepted on Constant-content.com? Absolutely not. It wouldn't be accepted on a lot of other sites and if it was featured on a personal website selling articles, many publishers and editors would quickly click away. The fact that sites and other publishers like constant-content don't take creative works isn't the point. Again, this article isn't fiction, but it wouldn't be accepted many places due to the broken rules of punctuation, spelling, and grammar. It doesn't matter who accepts what or who publishes what. Each publisher determines whether they'll allow the breaking of the rules of the English language. If they say anything goes, then anything goes. If they say proper English is required then those rules must be followed. In conclusion, the truth is that the fact that a few publishers are allowing the breaking of rules doesn't mean that the majority is allowing it. Therefore, yes there are rules to be followed in writing when dealing with most publishers/editors.
Nuh uh!
lgianino is right. Look at other places that needs writing. You could also make your own website with your own articles, and still make money.
This is a genius example: http://ittybiz.com/ (Naomi Dunford is AWESOME)
Writing is not only limited to publishing platforms like Xomba. We have to remember that grammar, proper spelling, etc. are just tools for us to utilize. It's not the ultimate rule of "perfect" writing. We write to either persuade, inform, or entertain so as long as our words are understandable and pleasing enough for the readers, then that's all that matters. So we shouldn't even look at it as a rule for creative writing.
That's my opinion anyway.
That's why I wasn't talking
That's why I wasn't talking about article writing, or any sort of scholarly work:). Xomba isn't the only place that caters to personal style. Real novels do too! I'll recommend again: The Satanic Verses, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Authors who break the "rules" and succeed. Definitely check them out, it'll change the way you think about writing.
It won't fly on many sights
Unfortunate, but true. Most of the other sites won't allow for creative writing, they are very strict.
Jill R
But.....
...only if you want to publish your work here, and here alone.
Jill R
Calm down will you?
I don't see where in any of my post I "knocked" your article. The fact that I don't fully agree with you translates into knocking your article? While not every author follows rules, no one can say that there are no rules. It depends on the platform, the audience and the publisher. What I can publish here on xomba I cannot necessarily publish at ConstantContent.com, all because of rules. There's even a proper way to indicate slang in writing. I can't figure out what was so awful about me pointing out these simple truths that it caused you to have to "defend" your article and even use profanity in your post. I believe I've been polite to you and thought that you could accept a different view point without flying off of the handle.
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