Monday, October 14, 2013

No Nos!

There are a lot of rules for any job and for any creative outlet. In reality, probably none of them are universal, but they are good guidelines.

But there are always times to rebel!

I think if you know WHY a rule exists and you truly understand it, you're in a position to break it. With discretion.

My favourite rule to break is Thou must write in complete sentences.

Nope.

I like sentence fragments both in dialogue (where it's more acceptable) and out of it. I try not to overdo it, but I love the effect of fragments - especially when my characters are stressed or scared or ticked off. To me it adds to the authenticity.

What's your favourite rule to break?

I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about Query No Nos - I hope you'll pop over and join the discussion!

35 comments:

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yes!! I think sentence fragments are my favourite rule breaker too.

Old Kitty said...

I don't think I have the talent enough to break established writerly rules and pull it off beautifully but I can think of some books I've read that do! Toni Morrison's Beloved comes to mind. It was like reading an abstract painting in words! Another is Cloud Atlas. Take care
x

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I use gobs of fragments. :) And I've written quite a few prologues. Oh...and I always open stories with dialogue. Gosh, I probably break more rules than I thought...

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Fantastic post! Excellent list of query no-no's!
Oh wait, I'm sucking up.... Sorry.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I break this rule all the time too. Though I try not to overdo it.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Breaking a rule with deliberation creates an emphasis on that part of the text.

I taught that to my students just last week, when they wanted to know why an author would write a paragraph with only two words in it.

Since the author was me -- I was sharing a page out of my galleys -- I could tell explain with confidence!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lynda - it is fun to let loose with the fragments! :)

Old Kitty - some authors do it so well! Great examples!

Elizabeth - too funny! But you do it well, so it works!!

Alex - too funny -thanks for dropping over!

Natalie - I catch some of them in editing and change them up too - you do have to be wary!

Dianne - nice! I bet the students were excited about that - how very cool!

Beth said...

I like using sentence fragments too - judiciously.

Jessica Bell said...

Yes, I love fragments. I've been 'told off' about them before, but I don't care. It's my style. I also like to write sentences that lack appropriate punctuation to give the sense that the narrator is a little bit frantic. It's called being creative. Don't let anyone knock it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Beth - that's what my editing can be all about!

Jessica - I agree! It's a fun part of our style :)

Karen - me too! :)

DEZMOND said...

less work for me to translate LOL

Jemi Fraser said...

Dezzy - love it! So true :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I break that rule all the time also. It makes internal dialogue and real dialogue so much more realistic.

Shelley Sly said...

I use fragments all the time. :) I also like starting sentences with "And", which is another classic No No. I just happen to like a conversational tone, I guess.

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - it does! I don't speak in full sentences a lot either! :)

Shelley - I love fragments! AND I do like that conversational tone too! :)

Lisa Gail Green said...

Oh that's funny! Because I write with a lot of fragments too. Drives my copy editor nuts. LOL But it's a style thing.

Kelly Polark said...

Yep. Fragments. :)

DMS said...

Hmmm... I have to think about my favorite rule to break. But- I agree with you about fragments. They definitely have their place and I can think of lots of authors who use them. :)
~Jess

klahanie said...

Hey Jemi,

I break every rule possible when it comes to grammar. A regular grammar anarchist. And I write stories with no plot, no antagonist or protagonist. How about that...eh, if you know...what I mean...

Gary :)

LD Masterson said...

Yup. Fragments. Just work for me.

Loved the no-no list on queries, too.

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa - I think we can get away with it being a style thing too :)

Kelly - those fragments are popular!

Jess - they are fun & add to the voice!

Gary - I totally know what you mean eh! :)

Linda - thank you! It's fun to work with those bits & pieces :)

Michael Di Gesu said...

I agree, Fragments are quite effective for stress and emphasis on a very active scene!

Romance Book Haven said...

Hi Jemi,

A mixture of short and long sentence makes for interesting reading and keeps the reader hooked all the way. Imagine reading long sentences all over the page?

Nas

Jemi Fraser said...

Michael - that's it! They're fun :)

Nas - it does make it interesting. Too many long sentences makes me snooze!

Carol Kilgore said...

I like to break that rule, too. I also open with dialogue from time to time. Looks like we're a horde of rule breakers here!

Jemi Fraser said...

Carol - we really are! But I think we know what we're doing ... at least I hope so! :)

Maria said...

I don't so much break rules as make my own LOL

Jemi Fraser said...

Maria - and that totally works for you!! :)

Leslie S. Rose said...

Sentence fragments rule. Mixing up the lengths is like using different brushstrokes on a painting.

Jemi Fraser said...

Leslie - that is a perfect analogy - love it!! :)

Anonymous said...

I use sentence fragments.

I'll check out your Write Angle post.

Dawn Simon said...

Nice post! I use sentence fragments, too. I guess I don't really have one favorite rule to break, though I've broken plenty. I think when you are aware of a rule and you feel you have a good reason to break it, it's okay--knowing others may disagree. There's so much subjectivity, you know? Maybe those decisions are part of the art.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Medeia! Fragments seem to be very popular!

Dawn - thanks! And I agree - art is all about the opinion - and there are so many of them!

cleemckenzie said...

Fragments, of course. They work. Runon sentences do to when you want to set up a fast pace, out of breath scene. Love starting with And. Sends my grammar checker into spasms.

Here's the that WHW race!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee - totally agree - they work! I do the And thing too :)