Here at Writers Digest (and despite the There Are No Rules moniker of this blog), we talk a lot about

doing things by the bookfrom understanding grammatical and structural writing rules, to following submission guidelines, to otherwise conducting yourself like a pro. And thats why we had so much fun putting together the latest edition of WD: The Rule-Breakers Issue. In it, youll find plenty of ways to put all that straightforward advice aside and instead challenge yourself to take smart risks that can pay offfor both your craft and your career.

To celebrate the release of this new July/August Writers Digest (on newsstands right now!) Ill share some of my favorite tipsand give away one free copy to a random commenter below. 3 Ways to Get Ahead by Breaking the Rules for Writers

1. Realize that great writing starts with an appetite for life. Ideas and real-life experience to inform your writing are everywherebut the most compelling ones may not be out in the open, plain for anyone to see. So dont be timid: Say yes to opportunities that come your wayeven (especially) the strange ones. Sneak backstage. Do something that makes you nervous. Try stepping outside your comfort zone, and youll find that the benefits far outweigh the discomfort of your sweaty palms. This tip lies at the heart of Elizabeth Sims wonderful article The Reluctant Risk-Takers Guide to Filling the Creative Well. Heres one of my favorite parts:

Eavesdrop. Its illicit, its impolite, and its great fun. I used to do a lot of writing at a particular Starbucks in my town. Once in a while Id see a certain type of couple: a young man sitting drinking coffee with a much older woman. Their conversations were quiet and remarkably intense. And I saw this over and over, with a different young-guy-older-woman combo every time.

I started to wonder. And I started to purposefully, stealthily eavesdrop. I started to look at the bigger picture, and realized that the coffee shop happened to be across the way from an armed forces recruitment centerand these young men and their mothers had just been there. Theyd come out and seen the Starbucks and decided to come in and talk it over.

The faces I saw and the conversations I overheard there were too intimate to recount here, but they informed me as a writer.

Eavesdrop. Write it down. Repeat.

2. Dont be afraid to twist your plot. Yes, they seem intimidating, but readers love themand the process of crafting them is not as mysterious as it may seem. Start by thinking of plot twists in more defined terms, and understanding the elements that make them work so well. For a twist to be effective, it needs to be four things: Unexpected Inevitable (in retrospect, the only possible ending to that scene, act or story) An escalation of what preceded it A revelation that adds meaning to what has already occurred.

The idea of twisting your plot sounds more quantifiable already, doesnt it? This tip comes from Steven James Pulling the Rug Out, his detailed guide to twisting your plot using seven simple keys. Its one of my favorite craft pieces weve published in recent memoryin fact, Ive never seen another one quite like it. Writers of mysteries, thrillers and suspense especially will not want to miss this issue for this single article alone.

3. Challenge yourself to try a new genre. This issues WD Interview subject, Adriana Trigiani, has succeeded in genres almost too numerous to name. She started out writing for TV (if you ever watched The Cosby Show or A Different World, youve enjoyed her work) then moved on to series novels (her Big Stone Gap books and Valentine trilogy are book club favorites), and has since written nonfiction, YA, and her latest, her most ambitious work yet: the sweeping epic novel The Shoemakers Wife, which spans multiple generations of Italian immigrants and is based on her grandparents love storyand which, by the way, has remained on The New York Times bestseller list since its April release. In our inspiring interview, she admits that her new book took her way outside her comfort zone (When I gave the first few chapters to my editor, I was sick to my stomach, she told WD. I thought, Oh my God, is she going to think this is the worst thing she ever read?) and encourages other writers to fearlessly push their writing in new directions. Look at me, she says. I found something I love because I tried it. Dont be afraid to shake it up! Giveaway: Win a Free Copy of The Rule-Breakers Issue!

These are just three of many unconventional tips youll find in this issue. It also features a guide to rewriting the rules of marketing your own work (featuring a Rule-Breakers Spotlight Q&A with Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, Oprahs newest book club pick), a fascinating piece on why you might actually be better off ignoring well-intended advice youve heard about writing conferences, and an insightful

profile of House of Sand and Fog author Andrea Dubus III, whose approach to the craft is inspiring in its sincerity (Even a day writing badly for me is 10 times better than a day where I dont write at all, he told WD).

Want to win a copy? Leave a comment below telling us which of the so-called rules for writers youve been looking for a good excuse to break (whether its an implied rule, a commonly accepted one, or anything in between)or just share any other reason at all that youre excited about this issue. One commenter will be chosen at random to receive a free copy.

You can also preview and/or order the full July/August Writers Digest here, find it on your favorite local newsstand, or download the complete issue instantly.

How to Write Better: Your Favorite Tips

Write the first draft for yourself, and the second draft for your readers. Melissa (Well put! When successful writers claim that they dont think of their readers as they write, I think this is actually exactly what they mean.)

You dont have to start from the beginning! Its so liberating when you first realize this. leannemarie (Ive found that any small thing that liberates your creativity can make a big difference!)

Trust your characters, not your outline. starlitsky (I love this. Its a wonderful gut check to make sure its your characters motivationsrather than any preconceived plot pointsthat are driving your story.)

Read everything aloud. That was you can catch awkward phrasing and typos. Kit Cooley (I might add that this is a wonderful way to spot unnatural or stilted dialogue.)

If its making you uncomfortable, youve nailed it. I know the writing is real, then, from my own heart, from places I dont want to look too closely. ldraconus (This can be equally true whether youre writing a memoir or fiction.)

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated. As promised, one lucky commenter has been chosen at random to win a copy of the new issue of Writers Digest. The winner is: Popper99. Please send an email to writersdigest [at] fwmedia [dot] com with Issue Giveaway Winner in the subject line, and include your full name and mailing address. Well get your copy out to you right away! Here are 3 of my favorite ways our latest issue can help you make the most of your writing time.

1. Pamela Redmond Satrans feature 7 Steps to Successful Juggling is a refreshingly honest look at how to not only find more time to write, but make every second you do spend writing count. Her article included some epiphanies for me, including this one:

When Id pretty much given up writing in the face of new motherhood and a full-time job, I had a friend who ran a department at a major corporation by day and wrote magazine columns and humor books by night. He was also married and had a preschool-age child. On a visit to his home one evening, I discovered his magic productivity secret: He could write through anything.

I realized if I wanted to keep writing, I had to learn to write as the bullets fly. Forget about waiting for the quiet hour alone: I was never going to get that again, at least not for a long time. And so rather than stealing writing time in my office, I moved my laptop to the living room. Instead of writing late at night or early in the morning before my child woke up, I started doing it while she was right there. I wrote while I watched the 802nd viewing of Cinderella, while friends visited for coffee, while I bantered with my husband. And somewhere in there, the pages mounted up.

Ive blogged here before about How to Find, Rather Than Make, Writing Time, but learning to write as the bullets fly is a lesson Ill be applying to that approach from now on. And thats just one of many wonderful tips Satran (a talented and much-published novelist and nonfiction author herself) offers up in her piece.

2. In 10 Fast Hacks for Fiction Writers, WD contributing editor Elizabeth Sims offers up quick and clever tips for simplifying your approach to your next story. Heres one of my favorites:

Paint a scene in two strokes. Make one stroke visual. Show something.

 Paint another stroke evoking one of the other four senses: a sound, smell, taste or feel.

For example: The rooftop was studded with chimneys. A cold wind whipped in from the harbor. She got pregnant that same muggy night. The cracked vinyl of the Buicks back seat left claw marks on her shoulders, and she remembered the dark smell of the plowed field next to the open road.

Efficient and effectivejust like the other 9 approaches Sims offers up in her piece. If thats not a refreshing alternative to an in-depth book or article on how to paint a scene, I dont know what is!

3. Of course, making your writing time really matter isnt just about quantityits about quality. And where thats concerned, I love this advice from this issues cover subject, the talented novelist Chris Cleave:

Make sure youre excited about your work. When you research a story, it should feel like life and death. And when you come to writing it, it should feel like, It will be devastating for me if I dont make this story as exciting as I know it can be. You should get up every day and think, If Im not super excited about the 2,000 words Im going to do today, how can I make it so I am super excited? It should never feel like a chore. If it ever gets boring, the reader can tell. You need to put the pen down and change something, and not come back to the desk until youre excited about the line or chapter youre about to write.

Cleaves new novel, a complex story of an Olympic rivalry called Gold, is a great read perfectly timed to the real-life summer games in Londona marked contrast to the timing of his debut novels release not so many years ago. Incendiary was published on the 7th of July, 2005, the day of the London bombingsand it was a story about a terrorist attack on London, Cleave explains. What happened is it got taken off sale. It went onto the shelves at 9 in the morning, and it was taken off the shelves at 10:30it was that quick.

Cleaves amazing story of overcoming the crushing setback to find publishing success on his own terms can teach us all a thing or two about not letting anything (least of all, timeor, in Cleaves case, timing) stand in the way of our dreams. Our interview was one of the most thoughtful, enjoyable conversations

Ive ever had with another writerand I know his words will stay with me (just as his powerful novels do) for a long time. I hope youll read our complete WD Interview and find the same will be true for you. Free Issue Giveaway

These are just three of many smart insights youll find in this issueso if you struggle finding time to write (and honestly, who doesnt?), you wont want to miss it. Preview and/or order the full September Writers Digest here, find it on your favorite local newsstand, or download the complete issue instantly.

Were also giving away one free copy! Simply leave a comment below by midnight on Sunday, July 29, telling us what youd do if you had more writing time in your day. One commenter will be chosen at random to receive a free copy and announced right here on There Are No Rules.

Jessica Strawser Editor, Writers Digest Magazine PLANNERS VS PLUNGERS

In their real lives, people come in two flavors: PLANNERS and PLUNGERS. Planners decide what to do, and then they do it. Plungers do things, and figure it out later.

Think about a buffet lunch. Planners walk around the whole spread, surveying all the food, deciding what they want, and then pick up a plate. Plungers fill their plate with whatever looks good. Planners plan their meal; plungers pick up food, making decisions as they go along. Planners come back for seconds; plungers overfill their plates on one run-through.

Think about navigation. How will I drive from here to there with my wife, Joan? As a planner, I figure out my route by studying my map. If Joan, a plunger, drives, shell aim in the general direction and adjust as she gets closer. We both arrive at the same place at the same time, but each of us thought it out in our own way.

How will we drive to the same place the second time? If I have the wheel, Ill study my map again and go the same way I went before. Planners are rigid. But Joan will start off in a different direction and correct until she gets there. Plungers like variety. Again, we both arrive at the same place and time.

In their writing lives, planners create a plan and follow it. Plungers start typing to discover what they want to say.

In the simplest form, planners jot down some sort of outline. Or they may spend months developing their plot and subplots and character sketches. Plungers just start typing to find out what they think. Planners organize so they can start drafting. Plungers organize by drafting.

Are you a planner or a plunger? You might think you already know, but theres more to think about.

As a devoted planner in my life and writing, I always create a plan before I type anything, but its not the traditional multi-layered outline we all hated in school:

I. Planners versus Plungers A. Planners decide what to do and do it. 1. Planners make lists of things to do. 2. Planners consult maps before driving. B. Plungers do things to decide what to do. II. Writers act like Planners and Plungers A. Planners write plans and follow them. B. Plungers type to figure out what to say. III. Dark side of Planners and Plungers. A. Planners are rigid, following bad plans. B. Plungers write long in time and space. Etc.

Whats wrong with that tool? Nothing, if you use it to analyze a piece of existing writing, but its a hard way to organize something, unless you think that way. My high-school mentor demanded outlines down to the sentence level before we could write one word. It took me decades of struggle to escape her influence. The word outline offends me so much that I call my writing preparations plans.

I mostly write articles and columns, with a beginning, not many sections, and an ending. I jot down a simple plan of labels for the parts and their order. Heres my plan for the piece youre reading:

OUTLINING DEBATE PLANNERS & PLUNGERS SCHOOL DARK SIDES ENDING: DO WHAT WORKS

Then I follow my plan, not necessarily in order. I always write the beginning last.

Plungers would write that column in an entirely different way. They would type a lot of sentences, paragraphs, sections, just stuff, not necessarily related or in any order. Then they would collect bits and pieces into sections that make sense by moving them around, and later write transitions between the parts. Some write the beginning first, some later, some last.

Plungers type to see what they have and to figure out what they want to say. As they type, they begin to glimpse emerging patterns and meaning. Once they have the whole thing down, they rearrange it until it makes sense.

Planners and plungers can write at the same quality and speed if they use techniques appropriate to the ways they think and act. You cant distinguish planners from plungers by what they write. You have to interview them about how they think and about their writing processes.

Plungers grow up with a problem: Planners rule the world of writing instruction and production. Most writing teachers and gurus are planners. All editors are planners. In my experience, about two-thirds of writers are planners. So how do plungers survive in a world dominated by planners? Simple, they pretend to be planners to get along with the ruling class: schoolteachers, writing instructors, gurus, agents, editors.

Steven James began his article:

I have a confession to make. When I was in school and a teacher would assign us to write an outline for a story, Id finish the story first, then go back and write the outline so Id have something to turn in. Even as a teenager I thought outlining was counterintuitive to the writing process.

Every writing coach hears that story over and over again. When I retell it in workshops, a third of my audience tries to suppress their smile of recognition. They all used the same tactic: creating a back outline to please the teacher. Notice that James calls it a confession. Plungers feel guilty for not being planners.

By now, about a third of you reading this have figured out that youre plungers. Good. Its OK. Theres nothing wrong with you. And theres nothing wrong with your planner colleagues either; theyre just dont think and write the way you do. THE DARK SIDES

Planners and plungers have different dark sides. Planners can be literal-minded about their plan; theyll stick with a bad one even as they realize its failing. Youll notice that the plan I showed you above for this article does not match what youre reading. I had to rejigger it after some struggling.

Plungers type a lot of stuff to figure out what they want to say, which makes them slow, because they write long and then have to cut parts they dont use.

A good debriefing, talking to somebody smart just before typing, helps both planners and plungers. The debriefer listens to what the writer has in mind. If the debriefer doesnt understand the plan, neither does the planner. So the planner rethinks the plan before typing. The debriefer listens to a

plunger for things that have nothing to do with the piece, so they dont get typed at all. A two -minute debriefing saves time and agony.

Plungers can save time by drafting without revising. Otherwise they later cut things theyve revised. Plungers can speed up using this sequence: type, cut, rearrange, revise. THE PLANNER/PLUNGER

Actually, few writers are one or the other: pure planners or plungers. Im a devoted planner in life, but I plan nonfiction and plunge fiction. I outline articles, but start novels without a plot. Some writers plan long and plunge short, and vice versa. Newspaper writers tend to plan the top, and plunge the rest. You should do whatever works for you, but plan or plunge based on your strengths, not somebody elses habits or prejudices.

For people who plan their lives, planner methods tend to produce better and easier writing. People who plunge through life usually feel more comfortable plunging their writing.

So you dont have to outline, but you dont have to rebel against outlining, either. You need to know who you are, and what works best for you.

Don Fry is a columnist, novelist, and writing coach in Charlottesville, Va., and author of Writing Your Way, Creating a Writing Process That Works for You. Visit him online at www.donfry.wordpress.com.

Jessica Strawser Editor, Writers Digest Magazine

5 Great Tips for Starting a Novel Right

1. When planning your storys structure, start with this no-fail method: Create a Doorway of No Return for your protagonist before the 1/5 mark of your book. Everything leading up to that doorway should, well, lead up to that doorway. Look at your own novel-in-progress:

Have you given us a character with following? Have you created a disturbance for that character in the opening pages? Have you established the stakes (the higher the better) for the story? Have you created a scene that will force the character into the conflict/confrontation central to the plot? Is that scene strong enoughto the point that your character cannot resist walking through that doorway (or has no choice but to do so)?

(Just one of many solid story structure tips from James Scott Bells article The Two Pillars of Novel Structure featured in the January 2013 Writers Digest.)

2. At the beginning of your story, include minimal backstory. In her article Weaving a Seamless Backstory, novelist Karen Dionne offers this light bulb moment of insight:

Including backstory in the opening pages is the same as saying to the reader, Wait a minutehold on. Before I tell you the story, first theres something about these characters and this situation that you need to know.

In actuality, theres very little readers need to know about our characters history and motivations that they wont learn over the course of the book. Interrupting our story to tell the reader about something that happened *before* it began works against the very thing were trying so hard to accomplish: engaging the readers and sweeping them up into the world of our novel.

I love showing authors how theyre unwittingly sabotaging their stories up front and then watching their light bulbs go off, because the problem has such an easy fix: All they have to do is isolate the instances of unnecessary backstory, and take them out.

3. To deepen your descriptions, add character-defining sensory details. For example:

No: She was wearing Chanel No. 5.

Yes: She was wearing Chanel No. 5 like in the old days, he noticedthat sophisticated, mind-coat-anddiamonds fragrance that always quickened his pulse.

(Youll learn ways to call upon all five senses in your work in novelist Elizabeth Sims article Master Description Through Sensory Detail.)

4. Make secondary characters significant. In her excellent feature article in the latest Writers Digest, longtime fiction editor Lisa Rector suggests brainstorming what meaningful thing a minor character might do or say that could impact the outcome of your story. Then, make sure at least one such significant moment between that character and your protagonist occurs early in your story (ideally with others following throughout the narrative). Characters that are inactive in the opening scenes tend to remain so, she explains. In general its far more effective to have fewer characters do more.

5. Instead of write what you know, try writing what you feel. In an exclusive interview with WD, bestselling Jack Reacher creator Lee Child explains:

The worst [writing advice] is probably Write what you know. Especially in this market. In the thriller genre, for instance, nobody knows anything thats worth putting in. There are three people in the world who have actually lived this stuff. And so its not about what you know. [Write] what you feel is really excellent advice. Because if you substitute Write what you feel, then you can expand that intoif youre a parent, for instance, especially if youre a mother, I bet youve had an episode where for five seconds you lost your kid at the mall. You turn around, your kid is suddenly not there, and for five seconds your heart is in your mouth and you turn the other way, and there he is. So youve gotta remember the feel of those five secondsthat utter panic and disorientation. And then you blow that up: Its not five seconds, its five daysyour kid has been kidnapped, your kid is being held by a monster. You use what you feel and expand it, right up as far as you can, and that way you get a sort of authenticity.

(The full interview is filled with helpful, inspiring insights like this oneand especially if youre writing suspense, I highly recommend it.) Get More Expert Advice on How to Start a Novel

These tips really are just the tip of the iceberg of valuable information packed into the January 2013 Writers Digest. So if you like what you read here, whether youre starting a novel in 2013 or resolving to finally finish one, be sure to check out the rest of the issue on your favorite newsstand or at The Writers Digest Shop, or download it instantly right now.

Jessica Strawser Editor, Writers Digest Magazine 3 Tips for Making the Most of Your Writing Ideas

1. Dont rush idea development. In her article How to Develop Any Idea Into a Great Story, awardwinning novelist Elizabeth Sims relays a story about attending an inventors club meeting (who knew such a thing existed?) and having a lightbulb moment when an experienced inventor leveled with the newbies and said this: Look, ideas are a dime a dozen. Its the development that put you over the top. Sims writes:

Fiction writers share a lot with those inventors. Its not hard to get inspired by a great concept, to take it to your table or toolshed or cellar and do some brainstorming, and even to start putting the story on paperbut eventually, many of us lose traction. Why? Because development doesnt happen on its own. In fact, Ive come to think that idea development is the No. 1 skill an author should have.

In the full article, Sims pays it forward by sharing plenty of lightbulb moments of her own in a clever four-step method for developing any basic idea into the most innovative of stories. (She also illustrates her method in a full-fledged example of creative story idea development in our online-exclusive companion to the piece.)

2. When battling writers block, understand that willpower is overrated. In his article Overcoming Writers Block Without Willpower, writer Mike Bechtle explains:

In their book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, researchers Chip Heath and Dan Heath share the results of their revealing study that found we have a finite amount of willpower available. Simply put, when we use it up by resisting a chocolate doughnut all morning, theres none left to stay disciplined in our writing an hour later. The willpower tank has to refill before we can use it again.

Bechtle goes on to show what scientists have discovered about how the creative brain worksand how writers can use that knowledge to their advantage to be more productive and minimize creative blocks. I highly recommend the full articlenot only is it filled with great tips, but its just plain fascinating stuff.

3. Embrace whats unique about your own creative process. From idea generation to creative expression, the writing process is different for every writer. But we can learn a lot from sharing in each others struggles, epiphanies and victories. In this issue, we collected essays on creativity and inspiration from five very different writers. In one of them, Roger Dunlap writes of how he managed to finally free his creativity by, after years of resistance, finally giving himself permission to call himself a writer:

I found the answer on trips to New York and New Orleans, where I discovered street musicians, sidewalk artists, jugglers and singers. There is a saxophone player in front of Macys who will tear your heart in two with his rendition of the blues. There is a sketch artist on the banks of the Mississippi who can make you feel the burning sand and cooling surf of the Caribbean. I wouldnt ask that sax player if he were a musician. I could hear the answer. With the artist, I could see the answer. Fame and money are not the measure of their artistic identities. Whats the most unexpected place youve found story ideas? Leave a comment to enter our free issue giveaway!

In my editors letter for this issue, I share a story of unexpectedly finding inspiration for my writing during a visit-gone-wrong to the county fairand judging from the unusually high volume of feedback Ive already been receiving in emails and tweets, the experience really resonated with writers of all types. That makes me wonder:

Whats the most unexpected place that you have found writing inspiration or creative story ideas?

Leave your response in the comments section below, and youll be entered to win a free copy of The Big Idea Issue! Deadline to enter is 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, October 25, and the winner will be announced in a future post.

All of the above is really just a taste of what the November/December 2012 Writers Digest has in store. I promise: We dont call it The Big Idea Issue for nothing! Preview the full November/Decem ber 2012 issue online, check it out on your local newsstand, or download a digital version instantly.

Jessica Strawser Editor, Writers Digest Magazine