Ultimatums. They come in handy sometimes. Necessary in some cases.
But in the case of writing? Not really. For the beginner, to say something as generic as “show don’t tell” can create more confusion than can help. And to what to do with these other common admonitions: “never use adverbs” or “always show,” or “never describe a character in a mirror,” “never use cliches”, “always write every day”… None of this is bad advice, per se, except that the use of extremes “always” and “never” make it appear as though these are the hard rules of writing and godforbid you ignore the standard, you’ll never see the light of publishing.
Good grief.
I used to take input like this very seriously (and, to this day, I do listen to advice, but I also think critically about it before applying swathes of it over a manuscript). It’s okay to go with a suggestion and, if it doesn’t work for you, throw it out. I will say this though: for the beginner, it’s best to stick with general rules until you’ve practiced a bit. It’s also a good idea to have a seasoned mentor or coach who can assist in the process so you know what you’re doing right.
There is a saying thrown around the writing community that goes something like this: Once you know the rules, you can break them.
I used to believe that was a free-for-all. Well, I understand the rules say this or that, thus, I’m free to break them. No…no, no, no. The rules are there as a starting point! You need a foundation before you can build your frame and add walls and a roof and paint the darn thing. Once you understand the basics of structure, grammar, syntax, cadence, dialogue, etc.… then you can have fun with twisting your sentences around in a way that may break a rule or two, but for the sake of the writing.The best question to ask yourself (or a critique partner to ask), is “why break the rule?” Unless you have a solid defense, you may need to double check your work and see if it’s really the best option.
For example: could you describe a character looking at themselves in the mirror? Maybe. Did they just wake up and are describing what they see for the reader? “Shye stood in front of the door-length mirror and inspected her large blue eyes. Her brown hair was a mess and she needed to dye it, already the gray was peeking at the roots.” Eck…no. That’s cliché and nobody wants to read cliché. They want FRESH. It’s why they picked up your book.
But…what if you had a character who was extremely vain and this is their flaw, something that must be overcome (even if they don’t realize it) and is deeply imbedded in the character arc throughout the story? What if you rewrote the scene like this: “Shye ambled past the door-length mirror and might’ve screamed except her throat was dry. She stumbled into the bathroom, the bright lights painful on her eyes, but she didn’t care. Centered at her trifold vanity mirror, she went to work quickly, splashing cold water on her tired face, brushing long brown hair smooth again. What was that? Gray? She leaned closer to inspect, pulse quickening. This meant a trip to the colorist after work…oh god, they better have an opening… She snagged the eyeliner: the new one she hadn’t opened yet. The clerk had told her it would complement her blue eyes. Shye steadied her breath and applied it slow and meticulous. So far, it seemed she was right.”
Neither of these examples are stellar, but you get the point (hopefully). Never describe a character in a mirror? Yes, actually, you can. But if you’re providing something like in the first example, it’ll come across like the overly done scene that editors and agents and readers find annoying. Can you explain why you described them in the mirror? Is there no other way to do it? If the answer is something like the second example (yes, there’s an explanation and it makes sense, and perhaps there’s another way to do it but this was most effective because…) then, there you go. You’ve broken a rule effectively. Bravo.
There you have it. Never break a rule without a good reason.
( ;
(You catch that? At the end? If you did, you’re smarter than you look….)