by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay

This summer, as I edit, I keep coming across wise words from brilliant writers. Kurt Vonnegut is one such writer. In 1991, I was part of a small group that brought Vonnegut to Northwestern University to talk one evening and we took him out to dinner beforehand. Only years later do I realize the significance of sitting next to him, peppering him with questions, listening with rapt attention to all he had to say —  and now wishing I could remember better the advice he gave. 

He was clear speaking, I do remember that. He was gracious with his time and his energy and I sense all that in this list of his “rules”, from the preface to Bagombo Snuff Box, I stumbled across the other day. 

They are good rules. Simple, straightforward, and powerful. Rules I often forget and never should…

• Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 

• Give the reader at least once character he or she can root for. 

• Every character would want something, even if it is only a glass of water. 

• Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.

• Start as close to the end as possible. 

• Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of. 

• Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia. 

• Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages. 

The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O’Connor (1925 – 1964). She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that. 

Some times in my rush or desire to create something “brilliant” I miss the basics. I make things more complicated, convoluted and complex than they need to be and that depletes their power, and my ability to connect with readers. 

I hope you enjoy this list. I hope it brings clarity to your writing as I feel it has mine over the past few days… And when you reach O’Connor’s brilliance, I’m with Vonnegut, throw out all the rules and simply carry us along. 

Happy Writing! 

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Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels, including Dear Mr. Knightley and the upcoming The Printed Letter Bookshop. She has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books and brings that love to her contemporary stories. Her first full-length nonfiction work will release in December 2019. Katherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University. She currently writes full time and lives outside Chicago, IL with her husband and three children. You can meet Katherine at www.katherinereay.com or on Facebook: KatherineReayBooks, Twitter: @katherine_reay and Instagram: @katherinereay.