140: The 10 Rules you need to write anything!

We all know about the rules of writing. So many rules! You’ve read blog post after post, book after book, and it all can become so convoluted. I’ve done the work for you. Now you don’t have to read/listen to anything else other than this post.

In today’s episode, we’re talking about rules. I will be your referee in the murky waters of writing and guide you back toward the end zone. I’m going to give you 10 powerful rules of writing that will take you from novice to awesome in minutes!



When I started writing, I winged it. I started writing, then I stopped when I thought my book was done. I don’t recommend this method. It’s messy and it usually doesn’t work and in fact, you’ll wish you never hit publish on an incomplete article or book. It doesn’t work.

Over the past few years, I’ve become serious and have put out three books, hundreds of blog posts, and am working on book number 6. But one thing is certain, I follow a very select set of rules and every book gets better because of these rules.

Let me be your referee and give you my top 10 powerful rules you need to write your book.

1. Know how your ending. One of the biggest frustrations a lot of writers face, they don’t know where they’re going when then pick up the pencil. I’ve heard John Grisham and Stephen King say that if you don’t know where your story will end up, you don’t have a book. Take a few minutes and discover how you want your book to end. I even encourage you to write your last couple of chapters, if you’re writing a novel. This will give you enough information as to where you’re headed. This goes for you pantsers! Lee Child says you need a roadmap, even if it’s just in your head.

2. Know your elevator pitch. It would be impossible to describe what your book is about if you can’t do so in one or two sentences. John Grisham says your story isn’t worth sharing with the world unless you can do this one thing. I failed at this when trying to pitch a book to an agent. That book will never see the light of day. My second attempt was for Divine Providence. Here was my pitch: “A young mother’s life is turned upside down when she learns her husband cheated and her son needs a new heart or he’ll be dead before Christmas. How does she trust God in the midst of tragedy?”

An elevator pitch will save you time and headache. It gives you the power to not only pitch your idea but how to write the back copy of your book. Here’s another example from the novel I’m currently writing: “A new preacher is threatened with losing everything for a debt his father owed to a local mining town tycoon.”

It doesn’t have to be long. Work it through and come up with your own elevator pitch for your writing project. Remember it must be one to two sentences long. Listen to Podcast episode #139 for my way of writing a book synopsis/elevator pitch. It’s near the end of the podcast and show notes.

3. Outline like you mean it. I know, I know it’s the evil word no one wants to hear. It’s the one thing you shy away from as it makes you believe you’ll lose all creativity and the pantser style of writing you’re used to. Let me ask you this question, how long have you been writing your book?

Writing is hard work, why make it any harder. I highly recommend you outline before you write anything. In fact, I outlined this blog post before I began. It doesn’t mean you have to spend more time outlining before you begin writing, but a good outline will keep your thoughts on the topic at hand. I find so many writers struggling with their scenes and stories, but if they would just simply outline, they’ll save hours and from popping aspirin.