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My 10 Commandments for Writing

September 9, 2012   Writing

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Inspired by Hope Clark’s Tweet, here are my 10 More Than 10 Commandments for Writing.

Warning Sign for Writers

Writer at Work. 10 Commandments for Writers.

  1. How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. ~Henry David Thoreau  Get out there and live life. There is no better way to create scenes, dialog and emotion than personal experience.
  2. You don’t have to write like anyone else. You have your own voice; develop that voice. You have a style; develop your style.
  3. Consider writing for something other than a paycheck if it pays in other ways. Don’t let anyone demand more from you than you get in return when you don’t get a paycheck.
  4. Details. Enough, not too many.
  5. Writer’s Block is no excuse. Get some endorphin-inducing exercise to get your mind and body going. Write something else. Write crap to edit or throw away later. You’ll learn something even if what you write is terrible. You’ll at least learn that you can write when you think you can’t. Scribble notes or some other simple project. Just do it.
  6. Read. Good readers, good writers.
  7. Write what you like. Someone else will like it, too.
  8. Do the business work of writing.
  9. Don’t be afraid to write controversial scenes if you know the controversy well enough to portray it accurately. We don’t have to agree with everyone on everything.
  10. Writing is work. Treat it as work.
  11. If you fall behind, get caught up as soon as possible.
  12. If you hate what you’re writing, make changes. Love what you do. Or at least like it a lot. It makes the work easier and joyful.

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