12 First Rules Of Writing

1. Write About What You Are Passionate About

Dan Cole at Ledger Pad was the first of several entrants who told us to Pick A Subject You’re Passionate About.

Shelly Kneupper Tucker at This Eclectic Life simply stated, Write About Things You Enjoy. In it Shelly says, “If you don’t like your subject matter, it’s a pretty safe bet that you won’t make anyone else like it either.”

Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker asked the question, “How can I expect my readers to feel passionate about something that I wrote, if I don’t feel that same passion when I am writing the article?” in her post If You Don’t Feel Strongly About It, Don’t Write It.

2. Use A Good Pen

Rudolf Kurt Penner at PoemTree6 sent his first rule of writing in by e-mail. It makes very good sense.

Use a good pen. This will vary with each writer. Use what’s a good pen to you, or one you feel good about using.

Why? I want to feel I’m writing good quality, and the tool I’m using reflects my intention.

Thinking also about how this translates to the digital age, and the writer who may eschew the pen for the keyboard, the tools of your trade can still have a positive or a negative effect on your art. Who has not cursed the time a computer crash has robbed them of freshly written material, or the failure to back-up has proved critical? Who can remain zealously creative on a sticky keyboard? Who doesn’t get frustrated when their wordprocessor does not perform the way they would like?

All of these hassles, and more, amount to one and the same thing: Use A Good Pen!

3. Don’t Wait For Inspiration To Strike

In the entry over at Change Therapy, we are encouraged simply to grab a pen and write! Isabella Mori urges aspiring writers to give in to “the excitement of a blank piece of something, ready, willing and receptive to whatever scribbles appear on it. it’s like the promise of a new morning…”

4. Don’t Play By The Rules

“Not having rules makes me feel good. I like to make each of my days as it comes. Every morning, I look at the bedroom ceiling and I imagine how I want my day/life/blog to look like. Then I get up and make them as I have imagined.” Simonne at All Tips And Tricks turns it on it’s head with her entry The Outcome Of Not Playing By The Rules

5. Deliver The Whole Package

Grab them, glue them, and leave them wanting more. That’s what it comes down to as far as Karen Shanley is concerned, and she makes a compelling case with her essay, My First Rule Of Writing.

6. Never Google What You’re Going To Write About

Someone else may have written about it before, but you haven’t. It won’t have your unique spin on it, and that’s reason enough to write about it. That’s what was proposed right here at Clean Cut Blog.

7. Write How You Talk

“People listen to you because you tell an interesting story. You have a style - don’t fight it.” Eloquently put by archshrk in the article, It’s Not What You Say…

8. Would I Want To Read It?

Vivien at Inspiration Bit asks us to consider this: “Would I be interested in reading this post/article myself later on, or if it was written by someone else and I was the reader? If I’m not absorbed by the topics I pen about, how can I expect anyone else taking their time to read my writing?” Read the rest of it in her post, First Rule Of Writing On Inspiration Bit.

9. Find Your Own Voice

Robin at Around The Island makes a most reassuring point: “Sure, there are a whole lot of great writers out there, crafting beautiful turns of phrase that are a pleasure to read. I love reading a great novel, or a fascinating blog, or heck, even the back of a cereal box, and can take inspiration from all of them, but my own writing, such as it is, wouldn’t ring true if it weren’t written with my own voice.” Robin’s first rule of writing is Find Your Own Voice.

10. Know Your Audience

Jacob at JobMob couldn’t put it more simply. “If I’m writing something that I hope you’ll enjoy and remember, it’s critical to know what kinds of things you like and dislike — what interests you or bores you — in order to understand what you’ll read and what you won’t even bother to open.”

11. Speak The Truth

Em Dy at Pulse reminds us of the need to be honest: “Whether writing a news piece or a feature article, it’s important to be honest to your readers.” The First Rule of Writing Lies in Your Heart.

12. Write About What’s Interesting To You

Derek Wong over at Going The Wong Way gently exhorts writers to appreciate the power of the blog. In First And Foremost When I Blog he says, “A large attraction for me is to be able to freely express myself in whatever way I want. I can say something and not be graded or judged based on it. I am able to say what I want when I want.”

I just want to add a huge THANK YOU to everyone that took part in the Group Writing Project, as well as all those that have taken an interest in it by commenting on the various entries. Thank you, one and all.