Welcome to this week’s blog hop. Today the topic is:
What generic ‘rules’ did you abide by when you started writing that have gone out the window?
I did not take up writing until 2013 when I started to work shorter hours and had more time to myself. I had not previously had the chance to go to university in my younger days, and so had gained neither an English degree nor any experience in journalism which so many writers have.
Subsequently I started writing my first novel ‘The Porn Detective’ with no idea how to form a novel at all, and so I had no rules to follow as such. I just wrote the words in my head and hoped for the best. Apparently you just wrote a book, sent it to a literary agency, and then waited for the money to roll in when it was accepted (!). I sent the completed novel off to a few agents, and was rewarded with much feedback and a possible chance of being represented after the outcome of a conference between the owners of the Susijn Agency in London to discuss my book. Yes, this was what happened to authors, and so I was sure it would be accepted as it was about a subject that not many people wrote about. I was quietly confident.
When the meeting did not go in my favour, I was brought up short. I started reading the feedback I’d had from the other agencies. I was advised to re-write the book in the third person, to have less events going on and to draw out one or two events instead, and to change the title. I also won a free edit of the first few chapters when I sent it to a writing competition. The editor was really informative and I could see from her work how I should have set the novel out in the first place.
It took me 3 years to get around to re-writing the book (now called ‘Mind Games’), but by then the agency were not taking on any new clients. However… I had learned so much more regarding how to write a novel. There are rules for writing that need to be adhered to, and because I hadn’t known what they were when I started out (indeed, I didn’t think there were any), I had lost out on that possible chance for representation.
C’est la vie.
So to answer the question, I had no rules to start with but realised what they were once I began to write more books and read blogs focusing on improving novel writing. But that’s me… I’ve always been a bit contrary!
I’m over on the Isle of Wight with the grandchildren for the next two weeks, but if I’ve got time to take part in the next two blog hops then I will. Looking after children is a bit time consuming!
Click on the blue button below to discover which ‘rules’ other writers have followed.
Rules:
- Link your blog to this hop.
- Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
- Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
- Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
- Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Patty said:
Reblogged this on Campbells World.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for the re-blog.
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Pingback: Previously Published #Open Book Blog Hop – My Corner
Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for linking up, Abbie. Please click on the blue button on my blog post to add your blog and then comment on the other blogs there. Thanks!
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AEM said:
Contrary people are fun. Keep it up and I love learning about your literary path.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks!
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dgkaye said:
Great share Stevie. 2013 when I started writing my first book too, LOL. We live and learn. We are tenacious. ❤
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes indeed.
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dgkaye said:
xx
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P.J. MacLayne said:
I think I ‘absorbed’ many of the rules as a reader. And promptly ignored them when I started writing fiction.
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Marsha said:
I may have messed up. I added the rules to a post that I linked, not realizing that I had to write about the topic. Yikes. Do the Rule police come get you? I’m not good at linky parties.
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes we all write about the same topic and then share and comment on the others.
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Marsha said:
I’ll have to redo it, I guess. I haven’t written about the topic, but it is a great topic. Who started it?
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Stevie Turner said:
Nobody started it, it’s a group thing.
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Marsha said:
Interesting, I really like it. How did you all become a group? And who decides the prompt? I’m doing a series of interviews about writing challenges. I’d love to do a group interview with all of you!
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Stevie Turner said:
Here’s the link below to the MeWe group, where author P.J MacLayne gives the topics and inLinkz codes, although Phil Huston has added a few topics for the next few weeks. There’s a Facebook group too, but I’m not on Facebook anymore: https://mewe.com/group/5ccefdfd4dd9f00d41a75e85 There’s also a Facebook
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Marsha said:
Awesome! Thanks, Stevie. If you all would grant me a group interview, I’d be honored!!!
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Stevie Turner said:
Fire away with your questions, Marsha. I’m away until 25th July but I’m sure one of the others can do the honours.
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Marsha said:
Sure, do you have email addresses handy for your friends? I have yours on my email list.
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Stevie Turner said:
No unfortunately as we communicate via the group. The only thing I can suggest is that you join the MeWe group and leave a message in the chat box.
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Marsha said:
okay, thanks. 🙂
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Marsha said:
I love that you post your literary journey. Apparently, you have learned the requisite rules. I’d like to jump in on this Open Book Blog Hop
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Stevie Turner said:
Hi Marsha, yes anyone can join in. We write a post on the topic of the week, then comment and share on everybody else’s in the hop.
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aurorawatcherak said:
Reblogged this on aurorawatcherak.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for re-blogging, Lela.
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aurorawatcherak said:
Rules are meant to be broken … or at least bent … especially in writing. I know all of them and I follow the useful ones and don’t follow the silly ones.
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Stevie Turner said:
What a good idea!
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richarddeescifi said:
I have never received the wisdom of literary agents. I do think that, as language is constantly evolving, any rules need to be flexible enough to allow for these changes.
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Stevie Turner said:
I suppose at the end of the day they’re not rules exactly, just suggestions.
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robertawrites235681907 said:
I also didn’t know anything about the rules for writing books when I started, Stevie. I have degrees, but they are in accounting, auditing and business writing not creative writing. Initially, I thought reading about writing might stifle my “voice”, but I have learned that is not the case. I now pay for developmental editing as I believe this is necessary as I need to learn. I have learned so much and was delighted to have so many less comments around style with my latest novel. I am learning and applying what I learn.
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes, we learn as we go along for sure. Thanks Robbie.
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Phil Huston said:
OF them
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Phil Huston said:
All if them
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