Techniques are not rules

I read this line recently in another writer’s blog post and while it’s not rocket science and I’ve heard it in other forms before, boy did it strike a chord with me.

I think when we write—especially when we’re beginners or when things aren’t going well—we’re so desperate to hold onto something, anything, as we tumble into the great abyss that is a blank page of a 400 page manuscript, that we’ll grab onto anything that anyone will tell us that makes sense.

Not that listening to advice of the more experienced or successful is bad. It’s good. It’s what we need to do to learn and get better.

But folks. These things other writers tell us in workshops and books are techniques, not rules.

It’s a good technique to avoid adverbs and adjectives and instead choose powerful and descriptive verbs and nouns. Does this mean there’s a rule that says you can’t ever use adverbs? NO! And if I see one more contest entry where the writer has simply left the “ly” off a word thinking it’s not an adverb if they spell it incorrectly, I’ll scream. (If they spell it incorrect. AAAAAH!!!!)

It’s a good technique to use the active voice in fiction. Does this mean you should never use the passive voice? No. It can have a strong impact, if it’s used sparingly.

It’s a good technique to make your point of view character have an identifiable and clear goal in every scene. Does that mean your book will fail if their goal is obscure in a couple of scenes? No.

It’s a good technique in the romance genre to have a very likable and easily relatable heroine. Does this mean you can’t write a great book with a harder to like heroine? No. (Ain’t She Sweet, anyone?)

It’s a good technique to use all five senses to immerse the reader in the world you’re creating for your characters to inhabit. Does this mean there’s a rule that says you need to tell us how everything smells? No. (And please don't... Somethings aren't meant to be smelt.)

It’s a good technique to stick to only two or three points of view in a book and avoid omniscient at all costs. Does this mean you shouldn’t add a scene into a book that’s written in an unexpected point of view—even omniscient—for impact? That you can’t have six or seven points of view in a book? No, it does not.

It is important to know and understand the techniques and devices used by successful writers, to study and learn these techniques and understand why they work and have made the writers who use them successful. And as frequent readers of this blog know, we all LOVE talking about fiction writing techniques and devices. BUT, but, but… one part of understanding techniques is knowing when and why you might not want to use them. And always remembering: they’re techniques – not rules.

PS. Still digging David Cook. Billie Jean? Are you kidding me? Awesome. Who'd a thunk it.