A new blog series on why rules exist, when writers shouldn’t break them, and how writers can break them effectively
Welcome to my new blog series! The series is dedicated to helping writers understand how they can break writing rules to achieve certain goals.
The art of writing is often seen as a means to communicate ideas effectively, and rules—from grammar rules to genre conventions—are usually regarded as the backbone of clear communication. However, writers, particularly creative writers, often break grammar rules deliberately, using them as tools to create unique and effective writing styles. While haphazardly breaking grammar rules can lead to negative consequences, breaking them creatively can enhance readers’ experience and understanding.
The saying “Know the rules so you can break the rules” (attributed to the Dalai Lama XIV) holds true for grammar as well. A similar quote (attributed to Pablo Picasso) is “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” Understanding the rules helps writers break them effectively, and this is especially true for creative writers. Some of the most memorable and impactful pieces of literature have been written by authors who have broken grammar rules with intention and skill.
But when creative writers break these rules haphazardly and without understanding the reason for the rule in the first place, one or more negative consequences might occur: The intended meaning of a sentence might be obscured. The writer might reveal their ignorance of a rule and damage their credibility and competence as a writer. Readers might be turned off.
There are readers greatly familiar with rules who will always be turned off by broken rules, perhaps because they have deeply internalized those rules, along with the idea that a writer who breaks such rules is a “bad” writer. Other readers who are less familiar with rules might not even realize when a rule has been broken, and those readers might get nothing out of a cleverly broken rule, despite how “clever” the writer was. Then, there’s the sweet spot: the readers in the middle who understand that a rule has been broken and see the broken rule as a clever creative writing strategy. In those cases, the reader feels rewarded by the broken rule, and the writer reaps the rewards of their readers’ appreciation.
Various spheres of writing exist, including academic, professional, creative, and social. These spheres can and do overlap. Writers might be able to effectively break rules in one sphere but not another.
In academic and professional writing, for example, the ultimate goal is usually clarity: making ideas as clear as possible to readers. This is why the need for grammatical correctness in these spheres of writing is more important than it is in creative writing.
While clarity is important in creative writing, other important goals exist, as well. These include creative goals, such as the goal to entertain, the goal to create authentic character voices, the goal to affect the reader in a certain way (through atmosphere, tone, etc.), the goal to inspire a new wheel, and more. Modern-day social writing shares some of these goals, along with other goals, such as the goal to rebel against the norm (a goal often seen in social writing of younger generations). Understanding the spheres of writing can help writers to determine which rules they can break and in which circumstances.
Some writers are going to have more difficulty grasping and understanding rules, particularly grammar rules. Writers whose first language isn’t English and writers of certain upbringings can struggle more with grammar, and those writers should not be punished for grammar errors or deterred from their own creative writing pursuits. In a perfect world, those writers wouldn’t be punished by readers, but we don’t live in a perfect world, and writers are, unfortunately, shamed by their readers when they demonstrate misunderstandings in the field of which they are meant to be “experts.”
The content of this blog series is not intended to shame those writers who struggle with grammar (or other writing conventions); rather, I hope this series can serve as a tool for those writers as much as it can for other writers for whom writing concepts might come more easily.
This series includes descriptions of rules, real-life examples of broken rules, and discussions of how breaking those rules hinders or enhances a reader’s experience or understanding.
It is important to realize that rules are always evolving, and rules vary across languages, places, dialects, disciplines, genres, and style guides. (This series will focus specifically on American English grammar rules, in addition to other writing rules, such as commercial-genre writing rules.)
Also, if a writer succeeds in getting published, their publisher/editor might have more sway than they do regarding which writing rules can be broken. However, if the writer can make a strong case for why they want to break a certain rule, the editor is more likely to be receptive to the broken rule.
On the other hand, if you are self-publishing, then your creative decisions are your own, which means that your responsibility to break rules strategically requires even more thought.
Language is always evolving, and grammar and other writing conventions evolve along with it. There will always be people who hang on to the past and who believe that traditional rules—no matter how outdated they are—should still be applied. There will always be certain readers who look down on writers who break certain rules, even when those rules are broken effectively. This is why it is essential for writers to understand that they can’t please everyone. They should try to focus on their intended readership.
I hope you enjoy this forthcoming series! If you have any specific writing rules you’d like this series to cover, please drop a comment below. Feel free to share your own approaches to breaking rules in writing. Stay tuned for our first post!