Rules for writing

Thanks to BoingBoing for this super-groovy link. It's a list of 10 rules for writers, and I like it a lot because it reflects what I like to see in books that I read.

It revolves around the idea that the writer should be invisible, which is something I've always thought (the term I used in my head was "transparent"), and which is the quality I most highly value in novels I read for fun. I think that's a big part of why I like (good) science-fiction -- no respectable science-fiction writer will butt in and start describing everything to you. The characters have to make sense of it all, and as they do, so does the reader. Actually, I've been reading a bunch of Arthur C. Clarke recently, and he does use a lot more description than dialogue, but it works because it seems almost like a monologue rather than ... well, writing.

I'm especially fond of rule #10: "Try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip".

Think you could use this, Ms. Mynx? Maybe teach the kiddies to not sound like jackasses when they write? By the way, I'm still laughing about "What if more beer and no pool". It's sad, but hilarious.

Perhaps when commentthis starts working again, I'll be able to hear y'all's comments. Stupid commentthis...