The golden rules of writing

[John Dean]

This is a subject I come back to from time to time in my blogs because, however experienced the writer, it is useful that I/they keep reminding myself/themselves about the golden rules. Get them right and everything else falls into place.

Every writer will have their own versions. Mine are:

Do not write for yourself, always write for the reader. Provide them with what they need to understand the narrative (but hold things back for later in the story).

Be disciplined - you may wish to pack in lots of information but does the reader really need it all? Use only what is essential.

You may, on the other hand, not have put enough information in - have you given the reader the details that they need to see what you can see?

Be brutal - if you have overwritten, chop out the fat. If that leaves your story short of words, then find some better ones.

Also, remember that all rules are there to be challenged - some of the best authors did just that and made it work but understanding the rules you are breaking helps the process.