In this post, I will discuss the rules of fiction in John Gardner’s craft book “THE ART OF FICTION” by having a conversation about rules and guidelines in the world of fiction writing. Are there any rules? Can they be broken? And should they be broken? The rules of fiction are a tricky conversation. Follow along to discover these rules of fiction.
The Desire for Rules
“What the beginning writer ordinarily wants is a set of rules on what to do and what not do in fiction”—John Gardner
I include myself in Gardner’s quote because when I first began my literary adventure in creative writing, I wanted a lawgiver to provide me with mandatory rules that—if I followed to a T—would guarantee me absolute success. I was convinced there is a definite set of fiction rules out there that had made Shakespeare such a legend. If Shakespeare used a set of rules that made him famous, then I should follow his footsteps, too. However, the more I studied creative writing, I found that there are no rules to this thing. I admit, there was a part of me that was disappointed when I discovered that I must do this thing on my own with nobody to lead me and tell me what was right and what was wrong.
However, looking back, I am glad the mission was my own. There are no rules to creative writing. There are only suggestions. Writers learn by trial and error. And each story differs from the last and the next. So, therefore, fiction takes on fiction-esque rules itself in that it is all made up. Rules don’t exist. If an author is talented enough to write a beloved story using emojis and pig Latin, then so be it. I’m sure, right now, a writer is already devising its outline.
The Rule of Expectation
“Think of the well-known dictum that all expectations raised by the work of fiction must be satisfied, explicitly or implicitly, within the fiction …”—John Gardner
While there aren’t any rules in fiction, there is an expectation for the satisfaction of the reader that implies a set of obligations that act as individual rules for the author to follow. These expectations are not simply to tell a good story or to use proper English grammar, but instead go further than that by expecting the writer to tie up all ends by the story’s end.
More so than just the cliché usage of Chekhov’s Gun—the guideline that if an important clue is stated in the first act, then it must be completed by the third act—is the promise that every ounce of information in the work of fiction is valuable to the whole. Gardner makes a good point that if a character’s college degree is mentioned as part of his background, the reader expects to have that degree solve a specific problem in either that character’s narrative or another’s. While this expectation is not a set rule of fiction, it is certainly a rule that regards a writer’s credibility. It is a personal rule of professionalism the reader will hold a writer to tell a good story.
In other words, a writer should make damn sure that each and every detail and object and action and dialogue is worthy of meaning later on in the story. In my opinion, nothing oozes mediocrity like a loose end. Even the most insignificant loose end will be recognized, scrutinized, and held against an author who doesn’t tie each up situation nicely or even metaphorically.
The Rule of Trustworthiness
“…We see that a great writer’s authority consists of two elements…his trustworthiness as a judge of things…and his ability to perceive and understand the world around him.”—John Gardner
These two elements shouldn’t come as a surprise when you think about them. Not only are they to Gardner what a writer should have ready, but they are two respectable traits any adult human should have when making proper decisions that could result in success and positivity.
A person’s trustworthiness is a major factor in how we ourselves associate with that individual. You wouldn’t spend time with another who you have deemed a snake. Even if you disagree with a person’s opinion, you can see that the individual has come to that conclusion through genuine research and logic—not emotion (hopefully). Opinion based on emotion leads only to disaster for the individual and the people around them. Therefore, it is the logic that a writer wields as his instrument to build worlds and create characters that the reader will follow. It is the writer’s ability as a competent judge of the moral and immoral character of another and situations that will be the seed that will bloom into an interesting story. Once the reader accepts the trustworthiness of a writer to perceive all of life, the reader will go wherever the writer leads them.
The Rule of Practice
“…in order to achieve mastery he must read widely and deeply and must write not just carefully but continually, thoughtfully assessing and reassessing what he writes, because practice…is the heart of the matter.”—John Gardner
I shouldn’t have to even discuss nor elaborate on this quote because it is obvious. Even the greats, like Stephen King and Ernest Hemingway, didn’t begin as masters of the craft. They learned and practiced more and more each day. They weren’t just writers but learners of the writing craft. And once they knew the basics, they instilled their own styles into their craft. But they practiced. Always.
That is what you should do and need to do. Read and write each day. As much as you can. Devour books. Read all genres and scopes. Pick diverse books whose opinions you disagree with. Study how they put together a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter. And question why their novel worked so well. What did they use that told such a great story? Can you incorporate that into your own work?
And keep a notepad by your side. I either have a notepad by my side or I have a Word document open to take notes as I go along. I have been doing this so long it comes naturally to me. If I don’t have a notepad with me when I am reading, I feel I am not doing the craft justice. And whenever I venture out to new locations, I always look for bookstores. I enjoy moments like that. Discovering a bookstore is like finding a sunken treasure. I always buy a book and help support the cause. And when I return home, that book immediately becomes my next goal.
My point is, you should love reading so much that it overwhelms you. You should feel like something is missing from your life when you aren’t reading or studying the craft. If you really, truly, honestly want to write a novel and have it traditionally published, then you need to live and breathe reading and writing whenever you can.
The Rule of Fiction in Education
“No ignoramus—no writer who has kept himself innocent of education—has ever produced great art.”—John Gardner
This is not a reference to a college education—not really. What Gardner is discussing here is the pursuit of education as a vehicle to improve one’s craft. That education can come in the form of university, libraries, the Internet, basically anything that can spark the writer’s mind to produce better stories. And these days, creative writers dwell online to gather information for their novels. Between researching info on the Internet and reading as much as I can, I consider myself a lifelong learner of the craft.
However, referring to university, Gardner does have some kind words. And as a writer with a graduate degree in creative writing, I am partial to the university experience myself. Not only has the writing discussions and the diverse literary landscapes been wonderful, but the overall conversations in other courses have helped me improve my creative writing quality. I know I wouldn’t be able to produce a well-thought plot without the experience of arguing against other students and professors. That battle has tempered my critical thinking and writing skills. If a university route is for you, then I applaud you and know that your writing will improve.
Some major opportunities are the great books you will read. Your professors—who are already well-read—will have chosen for you a plethora of books that will enhance your skills. And not only will the reading of those books help you, but the discussions that follow will help you. Navigated from a professor’s mind, the critical analysis and subsequent conversations with other students will force you to examine that book from so many different angles. When you go to write your book, you will be primed with a vast outlook that others who didn’t have that university opportunity.
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