image via Icanhascheezburger

Want to know if you’re being given bad writing advice?

Here’s how you can tell.

If you’re being told/implied/led to believe that there is one set way (aside from things like following submission guidelines-those you need to listen to) to do things.

Things like

• You have to plot your book out in advance
• You have to learn to write a synopsis in advance
• You can’t change POV in the middle of a scene
• You’re not allowed to do this
• You’re not allowed to do that
• Yadda yadda yadda yadda yadda fricking YADDA

Been told that?

Chances are, you’ve been given bad advice.

Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn how to improve on these things-especially if you’re like me and you like to change POV–by all means, smooth it out.  Improve your craft.

But if you’re being told you can’t do this, or you can’t do that…it could very well be bad writing advice.

The only hard and fast rule of writing that I consider a hard and fast rule?  There aren’t any hard and fast rules.  In the end, a good story will trump the rules every time and I don’t think a good story cares if it was plotted out or if it the writer figured it out as she went along.