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Flipping the Script at Writer Unboxed

Posted on Jun 05, 2012 by Peter Ball  | Comments (0)

The Writer Unboxed website has a great cast of regular contributors and guest posters dealing with the craft of writing and being a writer, but some of my favourite posts that they've done are the Flip the Script series. 

Every instalment of Flip the Script takes some very familiar writing advice and re-examines it with fresh eyes, asking what happens if you just ignored this oft-cited piece of writing wisdom and did the opposite instead. As the series author, Jael McHenry, says in her introduction:

...sometimes those old chestnuts are helpful, but just as often, rules become walls, which is no good for anyone. Walls block. Walls negate. Walls keep us from moving forward. There are exceptions to every rule, and in fact, sometimes turning the cliche around is a great way to boost your creativity and get your writing going in a new direction.

So which scripts have been flipped? So far the four instalments have tackled: Show, Don't Tell; Write What You Know; Kill Your Darlings; and You Must Write Every Day. Even if you find yourself disagreeing with what's written, it shakes things up and gets you thinking about your own writing process and what really works for you.

So what commonly quoted writing advice really sticks in your craw? Which scripts would you like to see flipped in the future?