I think there’s a time and a place for rules, even in writing.

During the warmer months this year, I assiduously followed the energy-saving guideline to avoid doing laundry between 2 PM and 8 PM, the hottest time of the day. The reasoning is that it warms up the house, when the A/C is already working harder to cool off the house.

But, um, it’s not warm anymore. (We’re finally rid of the ~6″ of snow we got just before Thanksgiving.) My air conditioner isn’t running. And yet I can’t shake off the idea that if I haven’t finished my laundry by 2, it’s too late for the day.

I think writing rules can be like that. There’s a time and place for almost all writing rules. We’re told ONLY to use said because reading “exclaimed,” “shouted,” “sulked,” “screamed,” etc., on every line distracts from the narrative. We’re told NEVER to use adverbs because “walking slowly” or “running quickly” are flat and redundant.

But at some point, it’s winter. An occasional “whispered” isn’t the end of the world!

The rules can help us avoid bad writing, but if we don’t understand why the rules are there, we may let the rules keep us from telling a story. Slavishly following the rules (holy cow, an adverb!) doesn’t guarantee good writing—or publication.

Or, to quote Jane Austen:

Better be without sense than misapply it as you do.

—Emma

Meanwhile, I have some laundry waiting.

What do you think? How do you find yourself misapplying rules?

Photo by Steve Grosbois