Writing is a craft that requires discipline. However, it’s also one of those crafts with no clear path and a need to explore.
As such, many writers follow rules, guidelines, and advice that are patterned to their personalities, writing styles, goals, and motivations. And though each writer has a unique journey, some of these rules have been shared and followed enough that they’ve emerged as popular maxims in the writing community.
Writing Maxims
Here are some popular writing maxims that you might have heard of or already follow in some form or another. These are most useful to new writers but are still usable for veterans.
1. Kill your darlings.
If you’re a new writer, you likely find it difficult to remove your favorite parts when revising your work. However, you’ll quickly learn why you need to be brutal in your rewrites.
You’ve worked hard on a character, plot point, or even a simple sentence. That’s why they’re your darlings. But if removing these elements will improve your work, then do so. Every writer understands the heartbreak.
This often repeated advice comes from Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’s On the Art of Writing. Here’s the full quote:
“Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it—whole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.”
2. Just start writing.
A lot of aspiring writers tend to spend a lot of time imagining their stories than writing them. Or they might be suffering from choice overload, spending more time panicking over what to write than putting words on the page.
You just need to start writing. It sounds too simple, but putting in the work and practicing your craft is what turns you into an amazing writer.
Your work might turn out ugly and riddled with errors. That’s fine. Your first draft isn’t meant to be good anyway. You’ll refine it into something better as you rewrite and learn more about the craft—but only if you actually start writing.
3. Write what you know/love.
This is one you might be sick of hearing. However, writing what you know or love is an excellent starting point for your journey.
As a new writer, doing this allows you to learn the craft faster. You’re confident in the subject matter, the ideas flow better, and it feels more fun.
This matters a lot as a newbie. You are quickly building your foundation and seeing progress means you’re more motivated to continue pursuing the craft.
Chances are, what you know or love is what you want to write about anyway. Although writing often involves exploring new things, your core motivation for writing remains largely unchanged.
4. Show, don’t tell.
Show, don’t tell means letting your readers experience the story rather than narrating it to them. The story becomes more intimate and engaging this way.
Don’t say a character is brave and strong. Show these traits through their actions and words. Write a scene where they lift heavy things or challenge a fearsome opponent.
But keep in mind that this advice is more about knowing when to show and tell. Too much telling is boring and too much showing is chaos. A balanced combination of the two is what you want.
What needs to be shown and what needs to be told will depend on your story. For example, a character’s hair color isn’t usually that important and is only quickly described. “His red hair was plastered to his skull.”
But if that hair is a large part of their characterization or has a special meaning, then show it to your audience. Write a scene of them taking care of it, or how people react to it. “He braided his long, red hair into a pattern I couldn’t make sense of, adorning it with beads and feathers every so often.”
5. Don’t use adverbs.
Stephen King famously said that the road to hell is paved with adverbs. Many seasoned writers think the same.
The problem with adverbs is that they tend to get overused. And when you overuse adverbs, your writing gets lazy and cluttered.
It’s also more likely for you to tell instead of show. “He’s here,” Samantha yelled happily. Removing the adverb “happily” allows you to convey emotion through action instead. e.g. Samantha began hopping from foot to foot. “He’s here!” she exclaimed.
Avoid this by using strong verbs that don’t require reinforcement from an adverb. “Glared” for “stare angrily”, “seized” for “forcibly took”, “devoured” for “ate fast”, and so on.
6. Read, read, read.
Good writers are great readers. You won’t be able to distinguish bad writing from good writing if you don’t read. You also won’t understand how successful writers create stories. Think of it as if you’re approaching the craft half-blind.
This maxim isn’t telling you to read whatever. Read the classics, award-winning books, and bestsellers—they’ve achieved that status for a reason.
And read widely. Read in and outside your chosen genre. Check out old and recently published works; poetry and prose; different age categories; and different mediums.
7. No purple prose.
New writers have a habit of trying to impress their readers with big words. But big words don’t necessarily make your writing better.
Purple prose is any overly complicated writing. It is riddled with adjectives, adverbs, run-on sentences, and excessive use of figurative language.
This is the kind of writing that drives away your readers. They won’t be able to dissect such dense and meaningless writing. Even if they could, they wouldn’t want to. Use simple words to tell your story.
8. Write every day.
Writing takes a lot of time and mental energy that you might not be able to spare. You have work, chores, and other responsibilities. You also need to sleep!
However, finding time to write is part of your sacrifice as a writer. It might mean less sleep or leisure, but you need to practice your craft.
Make your craft a habit and do it every day. Don’t be pressured into dedicating hours if all you’ve got is thirty minutes. Work within your schedule and increase your allotted time when you can.
9. Write first and edit later.
Ignore the impulse to correct your mistakes as you write them. Your draft should be complete before you go back and tidy it up.
For one thing, writing and editing require different states of mind. You’re creative when you write, and analytical when you edit. Doing both at the same time confuses your brain.
Secondly, if you keep editing your work as you go, you lose your train of thought. You keep stopping, never building enough momentum to get you in the zone. It becomes difficult to write down words simply because you’re already editing them inside your brain.
This creates a never-ending cycle of writing and revising. Especially because you don’t even have the complete picture yet. So write it all down first, take a break, and edit your work with fresh eyes.
Words to Live By or Break?
The advice given above is, of course, not absolute. You’ll find some of these as helpful while others a crutch.
Pick what works for you and personalize them to your way of writing. Remember, the first rule of writing is that there are no rules, just suggestions.
What writing maxim do you follow? Share your thoughts below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- Kill Your Darlings: How to Trim Your Writing to Make it Better
- Show Don’t Tell Explained: Examples of Turning Bad Writing into Great Writing
- How to Avoid Purple Prose and Create More Powerful Descriptions in Your Writing
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
