Today’s writing tip is less a tip and more my general philosophy when it comes to writing. See, this is an art just as much as it is a craft. And the fun thing with art is that anything can be art. Yes, stick figures can be art. Finger painting. A toilet bowl. We didn’t come out the other end of postmodernism to sit and quibble about what does and doesn’t qualify for the umpteenth time. Besides, we live in a late capitalistic market so hoity toity concepts of what is and isn’t art is less important than what sells anyway.

And what does sell? No one knows. Don’t trust anyone that says they do. The best written works are almost never the most popular. And what’s popular is hardly ever new. So don’t sweat it. 

We’re going to focus on the distinction of art and craft today anyway. 

First off, let’s address what I’m not saying. I’m not saying you can just ignore all those suggestions on what makes good writing. I mean, if that were my goal, I wouldn’t have done several months worth of posts on the subject. But I do want to stress that these are suggestions. All “rules” of writing are really just shorthands for what people have noticed generally work best. Will they work in every situation? Of course not. Any rule you are taught that is important to good writing, you can usually find a successful or accomplished piece that undermines it. I mean, James Joyce is considered a master of the field, after all. 

However, I’d argue all those that are successful at breaking the rules do so intentionally. That’s what makes it art. When you accidentally “break” a rule of good writing – you’ve made a mistake. But when you know the rule and have analysed its use in your work and then choose to forgo the rule, that’s when you’re being artistic. But how do you get to that point? 

Well, you play, really. Try new things. Try different things. We learn best by our mistakes, afterall. And this loops back to my primary tip which is to always be writing. But the more you write the more you learn what works and what doesn’t. And then you start noticing the edge cases where you can skirt the “proper way” to produce something surprising and effective. 

However, before we can start undermining expectations we must first learn what those expectations are. So I do encourage you to go out and learn all these rules and tips. Try to understand what they are and what they are accomplishing. Pay attention when you read other works, especially those that are deemed masterpieces, and take particular note when and where the creator chose to follow the rules and chose to break them. Ask yourself why they did it in the different situations and tease out deeper meaning which you can use with your own writing. 

And once you’ve got a good grasp on the fundamentals to the point that they’re second nature, that’s when you start to twist them. Bend them. Stretch them to the point of breaking. Find where you can skirt the rules as much as you possibly can. And play with it. 

Because at the end of the day, we enjoy art because it’s fun. If you’re not having fun with your work, how can you expect someone else to?

So, for this tip, it’s more to keep in mind when you’re receiving feedback. If someone points out something in your writing and says its a mistake, ask yourself:

Did I intentionally write this point of contention to go against protocol and establishment? If not, it’s probably a mistake.

If this was an intentional “error” is the reader getting the desired effect from breaking this rule? If not, maybe try breaking it in another manner or provide better context for the reader to understand what the “error” is attempting to achieve.