Eight Rules of Writing by Neil Gaiman

Make Mine Mystery

November 1, 2019

 

Linda Lee Kane

I purchased a series of classes from Neil Gaiman and I was not disappointed. There are other authors that I’ve been listening to, they always give you something to think about, put into practice, or just enjoy listening to the author talk about their great works. Something I thought I might share is

Neil Gaiman’s Eight Rules of Writing:

1      Write (very important)

2.     Write one word after another, find the right word, put it down.

3.     Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do, just finish it.

4.      Put it aside, later pick it back up pretending you’ve never read it before. Show it to friends you respect and like what you’re writing.

5.     When someone tells you something is wrong, or it just doesn’t work, usually their right. When they tell you exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it, usually their wrong.

6.    Fix it, remember that, sooner or later before it ever reaches perfection, you’ll have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.

7.     Laugh at your own jokes.

8.    8.  The main rule of writing is if you write with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That might be a rule for life as well as for writing). So write your story how it needs to be written. Write it honestly and tell it as best as you can. I’m not sure there are any other rules, at least one’s that matter.