Ten rules for writing

As the Globe reports, it seems people are still interested in writing, and in what writers have to say about it. 

“Inspired by the British paperback publication of Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, the Guardian newspaper asked a selection of fiction writers for their rules, and got a surprisingly wide range of responses.”

The answers, which have gone viral, appear now on the Guardian website. Among them…

Roddy Doyle: Do keep a thesaurus, but in the shed at the back of the garden or behind the fridge, somewhere that demands travel or effort. Chances are the words that come into your head will do fine, e.g. “horse,” “ran,” “said.”

Richard Ford: Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer is a good idea.

Neil Gaiman: Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

Jonathan Franzen: It’s doubtful that anyone with an Internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction.

A.L. Kennedy: Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pull-overs or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers write. On you go.

Philip Pullman: My main rule is to say no to things like this, which tempt me away from my proper work.

Margaret Atwood: Prayer might work. 

 And with that, I turn off my server and pick up my pen. On I go…