From conversations I had at a party this weekend:
1) After you establish a character in a story, make sure you ask yourself the following two questions before every subsequent appearance of that character: Where were they since we last saw them? And what were they doing during their time off-screen? It’s easy to lose track, even with a major character, and pick their thread up right where you left it. But there’s little else that’s as jarring to a reader as following one character through a week’s worth of activity, and switching to someone else who’s apparently done nothing but a paragraph of introspection in the intervening time.
2) All writing rules are optional. But only if the following condition holds: You know exactly why you’re breaking said rule. And not in some vague wishy-washy sense of being bold or artistic. There is a concrete effect you are trying to achieve. Also, just as important, the intent is only justified if the rule-breaking succeeds in the effect you’re trying to accomplish.
