10 Rules of Writing

Atwood is a not only a well-known author, but she is also an inventor. I did not know much about Atwood except that she wrote The Handmaid's Tale, so when I researched her after reading "10 Rules of Writing," by Margaret Atwood, I was not surprised that she invented the LongPen. She created a pen that can write in ink from any location worldwide. In her "10 Rules of Writing," she emphasizes the importance of a writing utensil and being well prepared for any scenario, whether it be that a pen leaks or that a pencil loses its sharp tip. Her extreme dedication to writing is revealed through these rules, especially in rule three and seven. She uses sarcasm in three to explain the desperation and dedication to writing by saying that a writer could use wood to write on if need be, which is a bizarre image in my mind. In rule seven she is blunt: "Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don’t whine." She states that writing is not easy and usually writers are not given fame and fortune, so if you are writing for these reasons, then you should not be writing in the first place. She uses wit, sarcasm, and humor in her rules, which I believe any writer can utilize.  

Comments

  1. Olivia SmithOctober 7, 2017 at 11:07 AM

    Camille,
    Personally, I had not read this article yet, but after I read your blog post I decided to do so. I liked the rule you brought up because it covers an important part of writing, which is doing it for the right reasons. I agree that she is very blunt, but I also saw the wit and humor. One of my favorite rules was number five. It simply stated, "Do back exercises. Pain is distracting." I thought this seemed like such a superficial rule, but it actually shows the pain and intense concentration a writer goes through as they are hunched over their work. Atwood finds this pain simply distracting. I feel that this rule also defends your point that she is dedicated to her work and writing in general. She seemed to use dramatic scenarios that most writers would not think about like using wood if no paper is available just as you had said. Honestly, this article caught me by surprise because I thought it would be rules that would better a person's writing, but rather it was Atwood's rules for being an invested and dedicated writer.

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