by James Scott Bell
When I started to teach writing in the late 90s, I channeled my inner Charlton Heston and announced 10 Commandments for Writers. A cheeky thing to do, I admit. But when I reviewed them recently, I found I wouldn’t change one of them. So here they are, with attached comment.
1) Thou Shalt write a certain number of words every week
This is the first, and greatest, commandment. If you write to a quota and hold yourself to it, sooner than you think you’ll have a full length novel.
COMMENT: I used to advocate a daily quota, but I changed it to weekly because inevitably you miss days, or life intrudes, and you can run yourself down. So set a weekly quota, divide it by days, and if you miss one day make it up on the others. How many words? Figure out what you can comfortably do in a day, then up that by 10%. And take one day off a week to recharge your batteries.
2) Thou Shalt write passionate first drafts
Don’t edit yourself heavily during your first drafts. The writing of it is partly an act of discovering your story, even if you outline. Your plot and characters may want to make twists and turns you didn’t plan. Let them go! I edit my previous day’s work and then move on. At 20k words I “step back” to see if I have a solid foundation, shore it up if I don’t, then move on to the end.
COMMENT: If you outline, tweak it as you move forward in discovery. If you “pants” do a “rolling outline.” Record a summary of your scenes after you write them, and jot ideas for the next couple of scenes.
3) Thou Shalt make trouble for thy Lead
The engine of a good story is fueled by the threat to the Lead character. Keep turning up the heat. Make things harder. Simple three act structure: Get your Lead up a tree, throw things at him, get him down.
COMMENT: Think in terms of “death” stakes. There are three kinds of death: physical, professional/vocational, and psychological/spiritual. If you don’t have death on the line in one of these forms, your plot is not as gripping as it could be.
4) Thou Shalt put a stronger opposing force in the Lead’s way
The opposition character must be stronger than the Lead. More power, more experience, more resources. Otherwise the reader won’t worry. You want them to worry. Hitchcock always said the strength of his movies came from the strength and cunning of the villains. But note the opposition doesn’t have to be a “bad guy.” Think of Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive.
COMMENT: Give your opposition a “closing argument.” No villain thinks he or she is wrong. Justify their position in their own minds.
5) Thou Shalt get thy story running from the first paragraph
Start with a character, in a situation of change or threat or challenge, and grip the reader from the start. This is the opening “disturbance” and that’s what readers respond to immediately. It doesn’t have to be something “big.” Anything that sends a ripple through the “ordinary world.”
COMMENT: Tense dialogue is a great way to open. It means you’re starting with an actual scene, with conflict. It also prevents the “character alone, thinking” opening which seems to be a lure for new writers.
6) Thou Shalt create surprises
Avoid the predictable! Always make a list of several avenues your scenes and story might take, then choose something that makes sense but also surprises the reader.
COMMENT: I believe surprises are the secret to page turners. Why? Because if events are predictable, the reader gets bored!
7) Thou Shalt make everything contribute to the story
Don’t go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the characters and what they want in the story. Stay as direct as a laser beam.
COMMENT: This one seems self-evident now, but at the time I was seeing manuscripts with scenes written for their style, not their substance. Another way to put this is the old advice to be ready to “kill your darlings.”
8) Thou Shalt cut out all the dull parts
Be ruthless in revision. Cut out anything that slows the story down. No trouble, tension or conflict is dull. At the very least, something tense inside a character.
COMMENT: Think of your scenes in terms of fear. Fear is a continuum, from simple uncertainty to outright terror. Some aspect of fear should be inside the viewpoint character of a scene.
9) Thou Shalt develop Rhino skin
Don’t take rejection or criticism personally. Learn from criticism and move on. Perseverance is the golden key to a writing career.
COMMENT: Writer Ron Goulart said, “Never assume that a rejection of your stuff is also a rejection of you as a person. Unless it’s accompanied by a punch in the nose.”
(Here’s Ruth Harris’s great post on developing rhino hide.)
10) Thou Shalt never stop learning, growing and writing for the rest of thy life
Writing is growth. We learn about ourselves, we discover more about life, we use our creativity, we gain insights. At the same time, we study. Brain surgeons keep up with the medical journals, why should writers think they don’t need to stay up on the craft? If I learn just one thing that helps me as a writer, it’s worth it.
COMMENT: There are many writers who make it and then go on cruise-control. Nothing illegal about that. Nothing admirable, either.
Now, I’m not Moses and this post is not a tablet of stone. But these commandments have worked for me over the years, and I know they’ll do the same for you.
Carpe Typem. Seize the Keyboard.
by James Scott Bell (@jamesscottbell) October 9, 2022
What about you, scriveners? Are you following all these commandments for writers? Do you have a wordcount quota (I have to admit I don’t 🙁 ) Do you think you’re still growing as a writer? Have any questions for Mr. Bell?
James Scott Bell
James Scott Bell is the International Thriller Writers Award winning author of the Mike Romeo thriller series, and numerous bestselling books on the craft of writing.
He has taught workshops at conferences all over the world, and put the best of them into his course Writing a Novel They Can’t Put Down. Jim runs a pulp-fiction Patreon community, and posts about writing each Sunday at Kill Zone.
Visit his website at JamesScottBell.com and get a Free Book!
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Write your Novel from the middle
available at Amazon
“I need three things before I tackle a new novel: Diet Coke, a laptop, and my dog-eared copies of James Scott Bell’s books on writing.” – Kami Garcia, #1 NYT Times bestselling author
What’s the best way to write a “next level” novel? Some writers start at the beginning and let the story unfold without a plan. They are called “pantsers,” because they write by the “seat of the pants.”
Other writers plan and outline and know the ending before they start. These are the “plotters.”
The two sides never seem to agree with each other on the best approach.
But what if it’s not the beginning or the end that is the key to a successful book? What if, amazing as it may seem, the place to begin writing your novel is in the very middle of the story?
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featured image: Moses coming down from the Mountain by Cosimo Rosselli, c. 1481
James—Smart writers — definitely meaning our readers! — know better than to trespass against the ten commandments. *Or* mess with JSB!
Thanks for much for a terrific post!
Ha! I have no power to smite…so just have fun!
Fantastic advice, James. That is the best list of rules that I have ever seen.
Very kind of you. Thanks!
Hi, Anne
Comments on 3 of this:
Rule 1: Disagree entirely with the one. I don’t it should be goals at all. We’re a goal obsessed society, so this encourages writers to get words down, often sloppily to meet the goal. Or they feel like a failure for not meeting the goal. I’ve had years of berating myself over not meeting any word count goals. Reframing as weekly didn’t help.
But what did help was reframing it as a task. A task doesn’t have any emotional ties to it the way a goal does. I decided on the number of words based on what would make me slightly uncomfortable, but doable if work got crazy. That number was 800 words, not the traditional 1600 or 3000 words. It helped me finish a space opera that had been lagging for months. Is it hard? Sometimes yeah. But it also forces me to get creative about pushing through the difficulties. I did have to set rules like the 800 words only counted for fiction. I had a second nonfiction project (Time Management for Fiction Writers–on my blog) that was started after the novella and had more words. If I worked on it, I had to produce 800 words, and then another 800 on the novella.
Rule 2:
This is what Dean Wesley Smith calls cycling. Everyone uses editing interchangeably with revision. Cycling is not revision. Rather, you don’t build the story broken. You fill in more setting when you review a scene. You scoot back to Chapters 7,8, and 9 to remove a character who self-edited (which I did on the novella). Key is not to write sloppily and make more work for your future self.
Rule 8
This is a horrible piece of advice. When you write, your voice is familiar to you, so it’s going to sound boring…to you. That doesn’t mean it is. But this advice encourages writers to essentially remove their voice from the story–that thing that makes it unique from other writers. But it’s also an invitation to your critical voice to come in and screw up your story.
And just for perspective, since I got a lesson in this. Would tell your two yourself, “Kill all your darlings”? It’s a horrifying put down to yourself and says you can’t trust yourself to write.
I love and cherish our First Amendment! Thanks for the comment, Linda.
These are SO right on, absolutely what we all need to do when we’re writing. If we incorporate these “thou shalt’s” in our novels, they should “want” to be read by others.
“It follows as the night the day.” – Polonius
Why aren’t these in stone??? :o))) #3 (push them to the brink, hold out a beat of relief, then have the branch crack) and the idea that every scene counts is what I repeat to my 1st book author clients repeatedly. Your list will be going into my packet of ‘read this!’ info for these same writers.
Carpe Typem earned a loud cackle, a grin and some head shaking… might have to put that on the wall here, where I stare as I typem…
Thanks for the wonderful post!
O good grief! ‘repeat’ must be my word of the day — or I could say the dog distracted me… that’s it… the dog…
Ha! No worries, Maria. “Write like there’s no tomorrow. Edit tomorrow.” (JSB)
I don’t want to hit cruise control!
I rarely have a villain in my books – more of a situation that is the antagonist.
Those are all excellent points and I like the additional comments.
Thanks for visiting Anne’s site, James! What an honor for Anne.
And an honor for me to be here. Thanks, Alex.
Rule regarding word count: My personal goal is roughly 1,000 words per sitting. While that may sound tiny, and it is, I switched over to handwriting/printing before transcribing to the computer with my current story. I find handwriting my personal solution to the concentration/distraction issues I was having previously when I would write on the computer. Now, I am able to concentrate more fully with greater attention to detail.
Regarding editing: I found that editing my previous work prior to writing fresh to be very distracting, so now what I do is simply print out a completed chapter and put it into a three ring binder. By the time I’m finished with the actual story, I have the printed out version all set for me to spend numerous days writing editing notes and the like.
Hey, 1k words per sitting is prime. And I know a few writers who do write longhand first. My penmanship has always been horrible, so I stick with the keys.
Pithy and perfect, as usual, JSB. Except for #1, which for me is: I try to write a scene a day. That’s the daily quota. I usually make; sometimes not. But that’s the goal. The number of words doesn’t matter. Some scenes are short; some long; it all averages out. But the scene is the thing. For me. Long live L.A.! 😉
Good on ya, Harald.
And yes, long live my beloved city…in intensive care at the moment.
Yikes! Be well, my former Valley friend…
Hello Anne & James,
It’s not often I like Writing Musts. In this particular case, I’m behind every one you’ve noted. Bravo, and thanks for reminding me.
Nice to hear, C. Write on…
This list is a keeper.
Thank you, James.
My very good pleasure, Ingmar.
G.B., This is so interesting. I have a blog post scheduled for the Kill Zone Blog on Tuesday (Oct 11) that compares writing in longhand to typing. There’s been some interesting research done on the benefits of writing things out by hand. You’ve confirmed the theory!
I intended the comment above to be for G.B. Miller. I seem to be post-challenged today.
For James Scott Bell: I love this list. Now I’m off to practice what you’ve preached. 🙂
When you can’t read your own handwriting is a problem I have not seen tackled in any of the research. ????
Thanks, Kay!
Kay–Sorry. The WordPress elves seem to be cranky today. They sometimes won’t put replies into the correct thread and start a new one. I have no idea how to fix that. 🙁
1. No. I have entire seasons I can’t write. (I still try, but the rabbit holes my writing go down are all in the seasons where my breathing doesn’t work well enough for my brain to function to full effect. I can still pay bills and get ordinary things done, but the brain only works so many productive months and then goes incapable.)
Instead, write steadily and steadfastly when you can!
5. Also no. Everyone remembers that Ellen Kushner’s Sword’s Point opens with something like “a single drop of bright red blood on the new-fallen snow”. That’s in the last half of the first sentence in the SECOND paragraph. You have the first THIRD OF A PAGE to set the problem in stone. as L. Sprague De Camp says, Shoot the sheriff on the First Page.
These are details. He’s generally correct except for point 1.
I have the confidence to say this because I’ve now published five books.
Tom, I emphasized the word “comfortably” in my advice. Even in the midst of “seasons” it’s possible and advisable to write something, even if it’s just 100 words, even if it’s unrelated to a “project.” Sometimes called “morning pages,” they can also be a source of joy and comfort during the hard times, while also keeping the imagination in good working order.
Re: opening paragraph. The overwhelming number of MSs I’ve read over the years would have benefitted from this advice. The first half page of a MS is about 125 words (roughly the size of this comment). In virtually every case, I aver, pushing the disturbance up higher on the page only helps.
Is Bell talking about voice in Rule 8? I don’t think so. He doesn’t mention it.
Aside: Lighten up! I see a lot of levity in Bell’s commandments, besides the fact that many writers find these valuable.
I try to write good material. Methods and tips that work for me may not work for others. Not all rules (or commandments) may work for everyone out there. I have only one hard and fast rule (the rest I apply as appropriate or needed): You must write to satisfy yourself only. If the rest of the world thinks your work is the greatest thing since sliced bread, well, that’s fantastic. If the rest of the world thinks it’s garbage, well, who died and made them God, anyway?
You’re an author. That means that you have the AUTHOR-ity to OWN your words. (And let’s not quibble whether a writer is an author or not – that just wastes time that is better spent on writing.)
This comment was intended as a reply to Linda Maye Adams’ comments. Somehow it didn’t end up there.
James, congrats for your politeness but I do think Linda has an interesting point. Rule 1 indeed may not work for people who must work for a living and find themselves facing challenges at work.
Rule 2…Well, that’s a matter of opinion, of how you personally set out your work – not really important but Rule 8, I do believe, is crucial. And I would agree with Linda, DO NOT “kill your darlings” BEFORE you’ve done your utmost to DISTANCE yourself from your draft.
Let it sit for at least ONE month without looking at it! Forget about it so that if you felt a little bored with it because of the “full immersion” that writing the first draft “with passion” entailed – that boredom will fade away, to be replaced with a feeling of curiosity to double-check on what you wrote in that first frenzy of inspiration a month or two ago.
When that curiosity returns to you, that’s when you’re ready to look at your draft and start revising with as fresh an eye as you can possibly get.
I do believe that’s TERRIBLY important, and I’d suggest you add that to your 10 commandments that – other than this – are just perfect, really excellent advice!
Claude, thanks for the good word. Re: facing challenges to writing, as I mentioned to Tom, above, I think it’s not only possible but also beneficial for a writer to write something in times like these. Whatever you can manage, even if it’s just 100 words of “wild mind.”
Re: distancing. I completely agree. In my book on revision and self-editing, and in all my workshops on this matter, I stress that “cooling off” period, then reading a hard copy through as if reading a book you just bought…taking minimal notes the first time through.
Re: “Darlings.” I don’t know how my advice about cutting what slows the story down got interpreted as “killing darlings.” A “darling” can add or detract. If it detracts, cut it. If not, keep it. As you say, the key is distance. Put in all the darlings you want to in the passionate first draft (Commandment 2).
Great to “see” you here, Jim!
I tried setting a word count goal, and it became an obsession. Once I returned to my “show up every day” rule, the words flowed again. My goals change depending where I am in the WIP — sometimes I need to pay off an earlier scene, sometimes I need to kill a character and set up a future scene. Goals for the following day I set at the end of my writing session, and it works for me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
All the other commandments I follow as if they’re inscribed into stone. 🙂
Hi, Sue. “Showing up” is definitely a big part of success. Glad you got the word flow again!
When I advise writers to set a weekly goal, I stress the idea of forgiveness—if you don’t hit the goal for the week, forget about it. Start afresh. If it’s proving too onerous (or obsessional), adjust the quota downward. Remember the old Judy Garland song? “Forget your troubles, c’mon get happy, You better chase all your cares away…”
And commandment number 11, which is the most important of all.
Screw the commandments. There are no rules.
Ee cummings, Hunter s Thompson, Gertrude Stein and a million others I’ll think of later were incredibly talented writers and successful as well. They all broke rules anytime they wanted to.
It’s more about the story than the rules.
Stein even said punctuation is for the feeble-minded! The same can be said for any rule or commandment if you let it get in the way of you getting your words down on paper.
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Cummings was a poet, not a novelist. Stein was an experimentalist and her fiction hardly sold. Thompson wrote a couple of novels that didn’t sell widely…until they got connected to his celebrity.
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There IS no story without form. If you want to connect with readers, that is. Certain “rules” (if you don’t like that word, try “guidelines” or “fundamentals”) have arisen because they, gasp, actually work. This is as provable as the law of gravity.
Now, those writers who succeed with deviations do so knowingly and skillfully. For as the great fiction editor Alice K. Turner once said, “If you’re good enough, like Picasso, you can put noses and breasts wherever you like. But first you have to know where they belong.”
This is exactly what I was going to point out (but had a billable deadline to meet first). Learn the craft before you apply the art to the work. You won’t get away with it otherwise.
James and Sally–Well said! We need to learn the rules before we break them. And we need to understand WHY we’re breaking the rules. Willful ignorance won’t get you very far. Love the Alice Turner quote!
Printing this out and adding it to Elmore Leonard’s rules should do the trick for any writer. Thank you, JSB. I will only add a caution from my personal experience, a caution being illustrated right here and now.
I am talking about the tempting illusion of productivity that insinuates itself into writers who write comments on blog posts. There they are, sentences marching across the screen. Production, creation, content. Except what it is is a time-suck.
Because it’s easy to do, something interesting and even valuable has drawn me away from “the business at hand.” Secretly ( a secret I keep to myself, from myself–until I write this comment), I am grateful for the opportunity to escape from the much harder task waiting, throbbing in the file I haven’t yet opened today.
And today’s world encourages me to do this: after all, the writer is responsible for his own marketing, and writing comments is one way this is done. Right?
Thanks for good word, Barry.
You’re right about the fun of commenting. Which can become a social media dopamine dependence if we don’t watch it.
I do like hanging out with writers, though.
As long as we don’t OD on all-comments-all-the-time, we can glean considerable value from comments – both ours and others’. Very often I find that when I post a comment, the topic has forced me to distill something I need but hadn’t isolated in concrete terms yet. I save those tidbits.
Barry–Yes, writing comments on blogposts is a great way to get yourself on a Google results page. For new writers especially, building platform and getting noticed by search engines is of vital importance. When a blog like this is already on Google’s radar, the Google spiders are going to be scanning it constantly, and when your name comes up, it goes in the database. Somebody Googles you and…there you are with your comment.
Love this!! So helpful as someone just beginning my first novel. 🙂 Thank you!
WAY late to this party but I had the good fortune to attend a presentation by JSB at ThrillerFest, many years ago. I truly changed the way I write and study stories across mediums. In short, if he writes it, I read it.
Elias–We are really honored that Mr. Bell agreed to guest for us. I agree his books are a wonderful resource.
I feel like I should print this list and pin it to the wall above my desk. Thanks for all the good advice, Mr. Bell. As an aside, my favourite book on writing is titled, The Art of War for Writers.
I enjoyed this article, Thanks for taking the time to write it. There are bits I disagree with, but hey, we would not be human without a little tension. However, I agree with you on most points but then I am a weirdo.
I like dull stuff, the authors thoughts and opinions spread liberally through the tale. I enjoyed Heinlen’s neo national socialist tendencies, whilst rubbishing them in my own mind as heresy, I loved (FMA De) Voltaire’s disregard for human life in search of truth and then unable to find it, settling for pragmatism. Austen’s acceptance of the nature of birth over ability. But then I am strange. I would read the asides and footnotes with more enjoyment than the tale.