It’s been almost a year since the Writing Rules Project was conceived. We started with just a concept and a goal: to write a book by the book.
We went through weeks of preparation. We brainstormed, plotted, and created characters. We mulled over first lines and debated the “write what you know” rule. We went to the modern greats and tried their advice, from inside the middle grade genre (with R.J. Palacio and Trenton Lee Stewart) to more literary fiction (with Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Chabon, and Paulo Coehlo).
We tried countless fixes for writer’s block. We got out the good old typewriter, we skipped chapters, we looked for inspiration in nature. We tried to write first and edit later.
We tried some crazy things, like waking up at 4 a.m. to write, and retyping an entire first draft.
We considered some of the great debates among writers. Should I really kill my darlings? Should I have an ideal reader? Should I show or tell?
Some rules worked really well, like printing the draft and reading it out loud. Other things fell flat, like trying to set a writing routine for a week.
I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer during these months, and I hope you did too. I think we may have gotten a halfway-decent story out of it.
Make sure you’re following my Instagram – @kamryn.heidi – to stay in the loop on the future of the Writing Rules Project and my future creative endeavors!
I’ve got stickers, notebooks, and more on Redbubble! Here’s the Writing Rules Project logo sticker.