Unconventional Freewriting and Breaking Fiction Rules

Freewriting Vs. Following the Rules

Mostly, fiction rules serve to guide aspiring writers in their quest to get published and gain a readership. A lot of these writers want to become traditionally published (or find great success with self-publishing). And when you have mastered these rules as a writer, and put in your million bad words, you have the freedom to take a creative leap with freewriting. You can then attempt to craft an unorthodox narrative, if that is your chosen route.

It is obvious why rules exist, particularly when it comes to children's books, which is a very guidelines-heavy category. Take picture book word count as an example. It is common sense that preschoolers do not have a long attention span, and are not yet capable of independent reading. For this reason, a picture book containing 2,000 words may be a bit too much for their age group (let alone the 50,000-word example I mentioned above). Similarly, a chapter book full of challenging vocabulary could be too overwhelming and off-putting for those who are just beginning to read independently. Sometimes the rules and guidelines exist for a reason and your freewriting should endeavor to coexist with them.

If you stray from the standard book genre tropes or expectations and decide to break some of the rules with your writing project, be prepared to face some opposition. There are those gatekeepers who are against freewriting and won’t consider it. That’s fine. They are not the right advocates for you. But as you do your freewriting experiments, consider the impact of your story-altering choices and ensure they are necessary. Do you know what you’re “supposed” to be doing and are you choosing to make another decision? Or do you not yet have a grasp of your chosen category or genre’s conventions?

Make sure your bold freewriting decisions are driven by purpose and have something valuable to add, rather than something that is superfluous or “quirky” for the sake of appearing different or unique.

Freewriting and Compromise

The other day I had a conversation with a Good Story Learning member who felt that he was "composing for the agent," rather than writing something interesting for himself and the reader. A debut writer who needs to prove to an agent or publisher that their work has value in a competitive marketplace. 

Sometimes, agents and publishers will make revision suggestions that a writer doesn’t agree with, especially if that writer is doing some experimental freewriting or breaking writing rules. That writer has every right to disagree. But they might also have to hear the agent feedback and make some changes, especially if they have their hearts set on traditional publication. Being a debut writer is harder than being a published one because you have to do a lot to demonstrate yourself.

Making unconventional writing choices and freewriting may turn off agents and publishers, who are mostly keen on producing projects that have wide appeal. Writing which goes against conventional literary rules may be perceived as too niche, a notion that might intimidate those within the traditional publishing environment. Nonetheless, you have the option to work with a smaller publisher or one known for. Self-publishing is also an option that has never been easier.

You’re certainly able to experiment and do freewriting and break the rules—and the market is able to say whether it sees the potential or not. Sometimes, there’s overlap between your ambitions and what readers want. Dive into that pool.

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