Can you break the "rules" of writing?

Many writers draft an entire manuscript before learning the fundamentals of the art form. When they come to me looking for editorial advice, only to discover their characters lack an arc, and/or the book's theme is murky, and/or both their scenes and story as a whole lack structure, and/or the story doesn't demonstrate clear causality, and/or any other of a number of common problems that can emerge in a first draft, they are often startled. After all, no one becomes an artist because they want to follow rules. And no one wants to write a story only to be told they are doing their art "wrong." But creative writing, like all art forms, has fundamentals. Many writers see these fundamentals as "rules" limiting their creativity, and the question thus becomes: Are there actually rules to writing and, if so, can you break them? That's the question we tackle in this episode of The Writing Coach podcast. Listen now!