When I first started writing, I looked up writing rules, and did my best to follow them. I guess this came from an urge to find guidance at a time when I was not as confident in my storytelling. Especially if you’re aiming for traditional publishing, it can feel like these ‘rules’ are compulsory, and not following them might risk people in the industry assuming you don’t know what you’re doing.

But as much as writing fiction is a business, it’s also an art, and there’s no rule so absolute it can’t be broken. Generally I do still keep to conventions, follow a structure; but I am no longer afraid of diverging from this, and refuse to believe there’s one correct way of writing a book.

So here are five of the common rules I’ve seen thrown around a lot that I think can absolutely be broken. Use them wisely.

I think overall the more you can show rather than tell is better, but it is okay to have a mix of both. Especially if you have a strong character voice/perspective, or make sure to stay anchored to the character’s own feelings on the subject being told, you can get away with quite a lot of telling.

Here’s an example from Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie, a book I think does a very good job of telling a lot of necessary information, but relying on a connection to characters’s perspective and a strong voice to do it.

This information could have been shown relatively easily—but instead we’re told, and in such a fun voice it doesn’t feel like infodump at all. Telling works!

Firstly, in fiction there will always be times when grammar is less important than effect. Sentence fragments are technically grammatically incorrect, but they’re constantly used in modern novels and as long as they’re not overused, it’s fine.

Also, grammar isn’t one solid thing. There’s are dialects, and of course, shifts over time—see for instance, the singular ‘they’. Anyone who tells you there’s only one correct grammar is wrong and probably right-leaning. 

(My extra hot take is that as long as your spelling and grammar is mostly accurate, by which I mean you are not jarred out of the flow of the story, no agent or editor is going to reject you for a few typos or errors. They’re inevitable, and though you should try to edit them, don’t let perfection be the enemy of finished, or in this case, submitted!)

Should you use one strong verb instead of a verb-adverb combo (she sprinted>she ran quickly)? Maybe yes. But they’re a tool like any other and can be used to great effect. In the Olivie Blake ARC I’m reading there’s an adverb use I’ve been thinking about for the last two days straight because it’s so good. 

I’m a writer who believes prose comes second to story and character. If the prose you’re using serves and makes sense for your character, then I think that’s good. In some cases this will mean elaborate, elegant prose; in others, this will mean much simpler, straightforward language. When I write fast-paced YA fantasy, I’m going to focus on clarity and voice. That doesn’t mean I can’t also write beautiful sentences, but I won’t prioritise that. On the other hand, if I’m writing poetry, ambiguity of meaning is in some ways the aim; the artistry and boundaries of language can be pushed further.

I am a Save the Cat fan first and foremost, but that structure works for me. It would not work for everyone—and I don’t think it should! If all books were written in the exact same way, that would be sad. Books need a beginning, middle and end, and that’s basically the only rule. This is definitely applicable to genres like literary fiction, but there’s also plenty of formally experimental SFF out there, and I think the genre is enriched by people doing things differently.

There we are! I guess you could sum up my ethos as ‘idk man i think it depends’. A lot of these rules do have their roots in good guidance, but knowing when to break them is important and often liberating. Writers shouldn’t feel restricted, and books shouldn’t all be the same. At a time when publishers are increasingly risk-averse, I think it’s important that authors do continue to take risks—even very small ones like using an adverb, or messing with grammar. Be confident; write the book only you can write, in the way only you can write it. Do not fear the typo, or the telling, and definitely do not fear individuality.

Credits to Sierra for the inspiration for this post.

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