NEIL GAIMAN CHAPTER 18 MASTERCLASS

Rules for Writers

NEIL GAIMAN
CHAPTER 18
Rules for Writers
“People don’t normally list sending a story out into the
world as one of those acts of bravery up there with
standing up to armed robbers or wild dog attacks.
But really, they really are.”
I
t’s important to stay organized and devoted to your
daily work—this will help you get through the
rough patches you’re likely to encounter. It can be
extremely difficult to get published, and rejection is the
norm for most writers. Coping with it will require a
balance. You’ll need humility to accept that your work
can improve, but you’ll also need a blazing confidence
that will allow your creative inspiration to continue
flowing.
Neil shares Heinlein’s list of rules—often called
Heinlein’s Business Rules—because they regard getting
published.
1. You have to write.
2. You have to finish what you write.
3. You have to send it out to someone who could
publish it.
4. Refrain from rewriting—except to editorial
request.
5. When it comes back, send it out again.
6. Neil’s rule: Then start the next thing.
Only one of Heinlein’s rules is about process—number
four. Rewriting is a personal decision. As you’ve seen
throughout this class, each writer’s process is different.
Some like to plan via outlines, others leap right in.
Most writers must edit and correct things later, but
MASTERCLASS
how much their novel will change over time is a matter
of individual preference. Also bear in mind that your
first novel or story probably won’t be as good as future
ones, so it’s not necessarily wise to force yourself into
a mindset of publishing everything no matter what.
There will be stories you just put away forever. Over
time, you will develop your skills. Even Heinlein
revised his work before sending it out, and you proba-
bly will, too. Once you’ve sent it out, it’s important to
be wary of agents and editors giving advice that may
mess up your original vision, but ultimately that is for
you to decide.
“When the magic is happening,
when the wind is beneath your
wings, when you’re lifted up, all of
a sudden it can feel like you simply
are the first reader. You’re the first
person ever to be here. You can’t
get the words down fast enough,
because it’s just there and all you’re
doing is describing something that
is being put in front of you.”
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Some authors like to carve out intensely personal
space. Hilary Mantel disappears for months at a time.
Other authors write, no matter the distractions: Jane
Austen wrote in a busy family parlor, E.B. White wrote
in his crowded living room. Ernest Hemingway, Kurt
Vonnegut, and Haruki Murakami all wrote in the early
mornings to limit distractions. Maya Angelou famously
rented hotel rooms to get away from daily nuisances.
Try to find a space that works for you. It should be free
of distractions (a definition that will depend upon your
tolerance level) and provide a source of inspiration to
you.
“People ask me, “How do you cope
with rejection?”…And there are only
two ways to do it—one of which is
you go down. You get sad. You put
the thing away. You stop writing.
You go and get a real job, go and do
something else. And the other is a
kind of crazed attitude that actually
the most important thing now is
to write something so brilliant, so
powerful, so good nobody could
ever reject it.”
In your hunt for an agent, you’re going to want to write
an excellent query letter. The Writer’s Digest Guide to
Query Letters (2008) by Wendy Burt is the prime place
to start. For the best overview of the publishing process,
pick up The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book
Published (2010) by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry
Sterry. It’s thorough and full of insider knowledge.
RULES FOR WRITERS
MASTERCLASS
FOR YOUR NOVEL
Query letters are often difficult to write, even for
experienced authors. Prepare the meat of your query
by answering the following questions:
• What is the genre, word count, and title of your
project?
• What is your logline? (See the assignment in
Chapter 16: Editing.) You can expand this to one
paragraph, but no more than 200 words. This will
be the pitch that will catch an agent’s interest.
• Do you have any previous publishing experience?
Write two to three sentences about this.
Often, agents also want a synopsis of the novel. On a
page in your notebook, write a one-page synopsis in
the following format:
• In paragraph one, introduce your main character,
their conflict, and the world of your novel.
• In paragraph two, explain the major plot turns that
happen to your hero. Pick only the big ones. You
can also include a mention of secondary characters
(antagonists, sidekicks, or love interests, etc.).
• In paragraph three, describe how the novel’s major
conflicts are resolved. You must reveal the ending.
“As a writer, you’re always going
to be rejected, and that’s basically
healthy.”
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When rejection begins to weigh you down, the simplest
things can keep you going. One of those is ritual.
Murakami said, “The repetition itself becomes the
important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize
myself to reach a deeper state of mind.” If you’re feeling
deflated, set up a routine for yourself and stick to it.
These tools can help you organize and stay on track:
• The online Writing Schedule Calculator can give
you an estimate of how long it will take you to write
your novel. Answer a few basic questions, and you’ll
have an idea of what to plan for.
• The Marinara Timer from 352 Inc. is an online,
customizable productivity timer that you can use to
create sessions for your writing.
RULES FOR WRITERS
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• Streaks is an app that allows you to create daily
goals for yourself and them gamify those goals by
winning credits when you reach certain milestones.
• SquareSpaceNote is another useful app. It will sync
all of your electronic information and writing so
that you can have everything in one place for when
you sit down to write.
For help on building positive routines, check out
Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good
Habits and Break Bad Ones (2018) by James Clear.
This book is full of practical advice based on the idea
that making large-scale changes will happen through
small, manageable steps.
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