The Ten Commandments for Writers
So as we come to the end of another year, which always ends with me turning a year older and wondering what the hell happened to all that time I said I was going to use to get things done. To spend more time doing the things that matter.
Like writing. And reading. And cleaning my bathroom.
Writers excel at procrastinating. At postponing. At finding distractions and excuses that keep them from being more productive.
We answer e-mails. Update websites. Read reviews.
We surf the Internet. Play Scrabble on Facebook. Tweet.
We discover Zombies vs Plants. Spend an afternoon playing Madden NFL. Watch an entire season of Entourage.
Or maybe that’s just me.
So as 2010 comes to an end and 2011 is just around the proverbial corner, I offer up the following New Year’s Resolutions. Think of them as the Ten Commandments for writers, only without Moses and the Burning Bush:
1. Y
ou shall have no Facebook before writing
2. You shall not make any false promises of word counts
3. You will not take your editor’s name in vain
4. You shall remember the writing process and keep it holy
5. Honor your protagonist and plot
6. You shall not kill the narrative with unnecessary exposition
7. You shall not commit Twittery
8. You shall not steal another writer’s ideas
9. You shall not bear false witness against your dénouement
10. You shall not covet other writers’ successes
I hope these commandments serve you well in 2011.
Happy New Year!
