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Magical words for today’s other cool posts – The title says it all: They’re Not Rules, They’re Price Tags.
Edmund Schubert, an incredible short fiction editor, explains why breaking the “rules” needs careful consideration. A truth I abide when I edit – for example, I allow a lot more rules to be broken in dialog than in narrative. Why? Because humans break grammar, punctuation, and spelling (letter pronunciation – wod’r vs. water) rules all the time when talking. But the more a speaker breaks the rules, the harder they are to understand. What is the price tag for the rule that needs breaking?
More importantly, does it help the narrative, or is just a darling to explore?
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