The Rules of Writing

Creative writing is not like math. In math, 2+2=4. That will never change. It is a rule of arithmetic. Writing is different. Especially creative writing. There is no right or wrong answer. This is part of what makes writing hard. But there are rules we can follow that will help us start writing, keep writing and finish our project.

There are 7 main rules of writing. Here is Rule # 1.

Keep the Hand Moving

If you are inspired to write, you are a writer. But inspiration alone will not get a novel written. Or a screenplay, or memoir or even a short story or short film script. What do you need to begin and finish a writing project? Inspiration + Discipline + Tenacity.

The best way to get your project started and finished is to Keep The Hand Moving. Whether you write on a computer or in a notebook with a pen, just Keep the Hand Moving. You might have an idea, sit down to write and find yourself staring at a blank screen or hovering your pen over your notebook, but nothing happens. You’re waiting for inspiration to strike. You’re waiting for the perfect sentence to form in your mind so you can put it down in writing. You are waiting for the characters to speak to you, or the story to pour out of you.

Well, you might wait for a long time. The best thing to do is just Keep the Hand Moving. Don’t wait for inspiration. Don’t wait for the perfect sentence. Just write. Even if you hate what you are writing. Or you think it could be better. Or you think it will be boring. Don’t stop. Just keep the hand moving. This is the only way anyone has ever gotten a book length project or feature length screenplay written.

Take away the pressure for your first draft to be perfect and Just Keep the Hand Moving. A first draft will never be perfect. You will have to rewrite many times. So just forget the idea of writing a perfect first draft and just write. Once you have a first draft of your project written, rewrites are much easier. In a first draft you are creating something out of nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. But not much. You might have an idea for a story. Or you might start with one character. Or one scene. But the rest of the novel or screenplay has not been created yet. In many ways, a first draft is about exploration and discovery. As you keep the hand moving and write, you will figure out your story, characters and structure. Be open to surprises. Be open to discovery.

A second draft is much easier. Now you are starting with something and your job is to make it better. But if you don’t create a first draft, you have nothing to work with.

If you find yourself staring at a blank screen, just write anything. You could describe the back of your hand or what you see outside the window or you could start with your character or your scene and see what happens. As long as you are writing something, you are not wasting your time.

I am currently working on a new novel. Sometimes if I can’t find the right words, I write a quick summary of what I think the next scene is going to be about. Once I have a point form summary written, it is easier to now write out the scene with action, dialogue, description and inner monologue.

When you keep the hand moving, you will be writing. You may delete or rewrite a lot of what you wrote in a first draft. But even if you completely rewrite a scene, without the first draft that wasn’t working, you would never have figured out what will work. You will feel good about yourself. You will have written something. You will have moved forward with your project.

So next time, you find yourself staring at a blank screen or blank notebook, take my advice and Keep the Hand Moving.

Stay tuned. Next month we will move on to Rule #2:

Separate the creator from the editor.