I was just looking at this article, The 22 Rules of Storytelling, and it got me thinking... 

What are your rules, writers?

What are your rules, readers?

I think it would be a good exercise to get a cross-pollination here; as per rule #2 on the linked list, writers should be aware of what their audience is thinking, and readers should be aware of what writers are working with.

One of my personal rules is to make any dialogue realistic. I mean to the point of speaking it aloud to yourself while wandering down the street like you're (housing other personalities in your braincase) on a Bluetooth. Speak it aloud to make sure it sounds natural. Like something someone would actually say. 

Another rule is to be brave with your characters. Figure out what they'd actually do, and then commit to it full-throttle. For instance, if Batman would kill a person in a fit of vengeful anger, don't pussyfoot around it and give him a convenient pylon that falls on the person's head and therefore keeps the Caped Crusader from being a murderer. What would 28 Days Later have been like if Jim had not committed to his end-of-the-movie actions?

Tell me your rules! ^_^

...tis a rather blustery day! Driving has been a bit on the hazardous side due to Random Branches in the Middle of the Road. The power went out this evening and they weren't expecting to get it back online till 9:30 PM, but it suddenly popped back up around 7:30 so I don't know. Either way, yay, as my laptop battery isn't all it could be.

Writing has been almost nonexistent this week, mostly because I started a new job. Having been unemployed for the last year and scraping my bill payments together by house- and pet-sitting pretty much non-stop, I am extremely glad of steady income. But the schedule is kicking my BUTT. I need to get used to waking up a whole lot earlier, and more importantly, I need to get my writing brain in gear on much shorter notice. Luckily this is a job that works an entirely different section of my brain; I had a job a while back that basically sent me home after work to sit on the couch and stare dully at the wall. Good for money, not good at all for creating anything. 

But it's good to be employed again. ^__^

~~

Random Writing Exercise: Write a scene from your antagonist's POV. Doesn't have to go into your story or even get mentioned anywhere. This is just to get to know the other side of the story, as it were. Motivations? Lack of motivation? Give your antagonist a well-rounded moment, because it can only help your protagonist's development.