Jessie Mae Writing Rule Book: Introduction

Warning: this is a post for my fellow writers. So you probably want to buckle up. I tend to get overly passionate.

So I admit to being a bit of a reprobate when it comes to authoring lately… I have broken every rule in an attempt to figure out what kind of a writer I really am. Writing five novels at once? Why not! Not writing for days, then binge writing? Sure! (Ps. I would disown my students for such behavior.) Reading absolutely no novels inside my genre? Hurray! Listening to music that is the opposite mood of what I’m trying to write? Bring it. And a complete lack of Starbucks time… Ouch. Okay. That’s where I figured I had finally lost it.

But having been a hardcore writer for nine years and having followed every accepted instruction diligently and having successfully produced five novels, it was high time I write my own rule book. One that adds a little more fun and removes a bit of restriction from my job. And while I wouldn’t say I’ve finished figuring myself–or my gold standard–out yet, I am well on my way. Experimentation has led to a mix of failure and success. This, in turn, has gotten me a little closer to mastering my creativity.

And so begins the Jessie Mae Writing Rule Book. A bit of terrible, but sage advice mixed with accepted norms and wild suggestions. It is designed to break you from your habits to teach you better habits, to add a little flavor and a pinch of logic and a taste of the exotic. And while all of that sounds like a big fat contradiction, it is a gloriously exciting, big fat contradiction. So stay tuned, friends. Believe me. You don’t want to miss this craziness.