http://writeabetternovel.net/go-ahead-break-my-rules-part-1/ Practical wisdom for novelists and other storytellers Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:03:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://writeabetternovel.net/go-ahead-break-my-rules-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-1815 Bill Henderson Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:24:00 +0000 http://truevoice-blog.com/?p=1936#comment-1815 Yes, it's the old "you have to know the rules before you can break them." But that always struck me as a finger-wagging bromide. My instinctive reaction was "who says?" and "why not?" But there are more helpful ways to say it: "once you know the rules, and what they're FOR, you'll understand that you have to compensate for loss of something functional; then it's just a matter of figuring out how to do that." Putting it that way takes you way farther down the road. (But actually it's what YOU said, isn't it?) Yes, it's the old "you have to know the rules before you can break them." But that always struck me as a finger-wagging bromide. My instinctive reaction was "who says?" and "why not?" But there are more helpful ways to say it: "once you know the rules, and what they're FOR, you'll understand that you have to compensate for loss of something functional; then it's just a matter of figuring out how to do that." Putting it that way takes you way farther down the road. (But actually it's what YOU said, isn't it?)

]]> http://writeabetternovel.net/go-ahead-break-my-rules-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-1814 Eros-Alegra Clarke Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:18:00 +0000 http://truevoice-blog.com/?p=1936#comment-1814 I was just discussing this with a friend the other day. I think it is important to understand why the rules exist before deciding that they do not apply - as you have stated, most of them are there for good reason and have been around from the days of old. I was just discussing this with a friend the other day. I think it is important to understand why the rules exist before deciding that they do not apply – as you have stated, most of them are there for good reason and have been around from the days of old.

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