Break a rule!

And going back to some old fashioned strategies

Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. -Stephen Sondheim

Dear Writers,

In my writing life, I have spent a lot of time learning the rules. The rules of craft. The rules of creativity. The rules that make a book resonate. Learning these rules has given me a strong foundation for storytelling. The rules give me sign posts for story telling. They give me options. And reminders that help me keep going. But they can also be problematic. Sometimes, I strive to be too smart for my own good, or for my story’s good. Sometimes, the best thing we can do with a rule is smash it.

Breaking a rule can be exhilarating.

It can also be stress inducing.

As a species, we have been making art as long as we have been around this planet. Art is how we say: HERE I AM. Art is how we see each other. It’s how we move forward.

We need art. All kinds of it. We need to take it in. See it. Read it. Hear it. Live it. Last week, when my husband and I visited the Frick, we saw Renoir’s La Promenade.

I had a print of this painting in my room when I was a kid. My dad told me I was the “big sister” in the back. For years, I would look at this print and imagine stories. Did the sister in the painting felt the way I did? I was sure she did. I imagined being in France. And living in different times. And snatching that doll out of her hands. And wearing that dress. One image. Many stories. Seeing the original gave me a lot to play with.

This is the power of art.

And we are making it. Right now! How lucky we are to have even a moment to do this.

Every morning, I wake up and I look at my story and I am so happy to be making it, to be engaging with these characters in their worlds. And as a reader, I love when the conversation about their art turns to epiphany. New ideas. And yes. Rules broken. Because art IS our existence, we can’t let rules get in our way. In my weekly writing sprints, I am inspired by the willingness to break the rules and try new things. I now see this as essential: When we give ourselves permission to create first, follow rules later, we build connections. We find humanity in our characters and ourselves. We find the very things that will be meaningful to others. (If you want to know more about the subscription service that Chris Tebbetts and I offer, just send me a message! Or sign up for Get To Know Your Character. We will definitely be breaking some rules there.)

Making art isn’t ever easy. Even when I have momentum, I am working. Pushing. Taking dares. Feeling uncomfortable about what I am sharing. But nothing great gets made when we don’t give generously of ourselves. We must spend it all, as Annie Dillard says. We must not let the rules confine us.

May The Fourth Be with you. Let’s reach!

Today is the Met Gala—a fundraiser for art. Everyone going will be wearing insane fashion that tomorrow, I will peruse endlessly. Because even though I am impatient with a few choice billionaires and their excesses and narcissism and silencing of others (don’t get me started), I love clothes. Fashion is art! It helps tell a story.

Today, with a nod to Joan Rivers, ask: what are your characters wearing? In the biggest scenes, what do their clothes say about them? Are they dressed to impress? To make a point? Or to pretend they don’t care? Is there a tear in that shirt? Or are their pants cuffed? Are their clothes new? Or handed down? Do they have preferences? Does your character get annoyed by collars? Itchy fabric? Do they always overdress?

Putting together a character profile begins with traits. Physical and emotional. So look at your characters. Look in their closets. Think about how they present themselves to the world. Like those girls in the painting, their clothes help tell a story. They can help create subtext. And strengthen theme.

Have a great writing week. Don’t forget to break a rule!

xo Sarah