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Some writing rules are important. Editors are swamped with submissions and if yours is filled with verbs that don't agree with their subjects and other grammar mistakes, the editor is likely to move on to the next without discovering how good the story is underneath.

But everything else is negotiable. Consider what rules you want to break and why.

1. Show don't tell. This is a fabulous rule. I recently read a novel that was good *except* that after grabbing the readers attention, it babbled on with exposition that could have come in a more active way. Going to my favorite book recommendation to see if there were already a thread about the author, I saw that EVERYONE had a bone to pick about this.

Most things can be shown through actions, but the trick is knowing when you have to tell. Show the reader what happened. Consider that you may have to tell the reader why.

2. Never use "-ly" words. Also a good rule, not because there is anything inherent*ly* bad about them, but because they can become so over used that they bug the reader. Don't strike them out of your vocabulary entire*ly*, but during your re-write, consider if there are more descriptive words that can replace them. Look for patterns - if you have a dozen or so "He spoke quietly..." do something about it.

3. Avoid cliches. Yes, Avoid cliches like the plague. They're old hat. Everyone and their mother has seen them again and again and, even if the editor has a heart as big as all outdoors and your writing is otherwise sharp as a tack, your manuscript will sit around collecting dust.

Writing an entire article or book filled with the above would be way too much. But dusting off a cliche to get a point or two across is not going to kill your writing.

Rules are meant to be broken (now I can't stop!). Where they make sense, follow them. When they get in the way of your writing, ignore them.

Learn more about this author, Angela Magee.
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