Rules of Writing

Writing. Most people either love it, hate it, or are indifferent. But let’s face it. Most of us are forced to do some writing as part of our jobs. This explains why many people want nothing to do with writing unless they have to. That’s where people like me come in. As a professional writer and editor, over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade, such as the “Rules of Writing” meme that’s been circulating on social media. I actually teach these to new writers:

1 – It’s okay to write crappy first drafts. In fact, it’s normal. However, I can guarantee that your final draft won’t look like your first. This is true whether you’re writing a book, article, blog, or social media post, like this one. Your first draft should be a “brain dump,” where you get your thoughts down on paper (see “Rules # 6”). Don’t think. Just get your ideas down.

2 – Words are expendable, so it’s okay to cut them. They don’t bleed, although your heart may break at having to chop what you think maybe your best stuff. You’ll get over it.

3 – Write now, edit later. Don’t worry about punctuation, syntax, grammar, and all that other stuff. See # 1. Most first drafts are long and wordy and may have thoughts that are out of sequence. That is fine for now.

4 – Your “mistakes” may lead you in a different direction, and that’s okay. I’ve often begun writing about one topic or taken one direction, only to change course. That’s okay. It’s all a part of the creative process.

5 – See number 3. Too many people overthink the process or get bogged down in minutia. Like the client I had once that was trying to design her book cover before writing one word of her autobiography. I told her she was focused on step # 57 when she should be doing step 1, which is writing.

6 – Well, there are rules, but they are flexible. One of my rules is you must edit and proofread. If you don’t, you end up with a headline like this:

As you can see, this was written by an Associated Press writer. Somehow, the editor missed the obvious error in the headline, and the article appeared in hundreds of newspapers across the country before it was corrected. I’m amazed at how often clients send me manuscripts with multiple spelling and grammatical errors, making it obvious they did no rudimentary spellcheck or editing. I guess they figure that is my job (which it is).

So, keep these rules in mind as you write your masterpiece, a memo for work, the project for the boss, or your next social media posting. And if you need some help with your writing, please get in touch with me. I’m here to help.