On Bending (and Breaking) Writing Rules

Ava Jae
Ava Jae
Aug 28, 2017 · 2 min read

Something easy to forget when dispensing (or reading) writing tips and rules is there are exceptions for (almost) everything. A writing rule that applies to most things often can be broken effectively by a writer who knows what they’re doing, just as a writing strategy that works well for one person may not be so effective for someone else.

So when I saw this tweet from Pantomime author Laura Lam a year ago, it reminded me just how important it is to acknowledge most writing rules can be bent.

So fun fact, my YA debut, Beyond the Red also starts with one of my protagonists waking up. Granted, he wakes with a knife to his throat and a phaser pressed to his head, so it’s not a typical this is my morning routine wake up, but it starts with waking up nevertheless. I didn’t make that decision because I didn’t know about the rule of not starting a book with a protagonist waking up — I knew about it and went ahead with this opening anyway because that is, legitimately, where the story starts, and it’s just before the inciting incident.

In fact, I don’t think I would’ve been able to pull off that opening if I hadn’t known the don’t start with waking up rule and why it was a rule to begin with. Because if I hadn’t understood why it was in place, I wouldn’t have known how to work around it.

And that, right there, is the key. Bending or breaking writing rules successfully depends entirely on understanding the rule and why it’s there to begin with.

This is why, even if you plan to break or bend the writing rules, it’s still important to learn about them. This is why throwing the rules out entirely without understanding them first rarely works.

All writing rules are in place for a reason and your job, as a writer, is to learn and think about them seriously before deciding whether or not you’ll apply them to your own work.

This article was originally posted on Ava Jae’s blog, Writability.

Ava Jae is a Latinx tomboy who writes YA speculative fiction featuring marginalized characters grappling with identity. Ava lives with a chronic illness, is a University of Michigan grad and runs a popular writing blog and YouTube channel, where she shares writing tips and bookish ramblings with writers and readers. When she isn’t working on her next book, completing freelance editorial work, or buried under her TBR pile, you’ll likely find her on Twitter at @Ava_Jae, where she talks about politics, the importance of representation and throws book recommendations at anyone who will listen. She is the author of the BEYOND THE RED trilogy (Skyhorse), and her next novel, INTO THE BLACK, will be released in Fall 2017.

)

YA writer. Latinx. Author of the BEYOND THE RED trilogy (Sky Pony Press). Freelance Editor. Rep'd by @louisefury of The Bent Agency. they/them

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade