Thinking of Breaking Rules?

Rule breaking fiction never fails to delight an editor--in the rare event that it works.

The following passage is quoted from Peter Reinhart's book, Bread Upon the Waters. I've chosen to share it here because it presents a universal truth that applies to anyone wishing to breathe life into a creative vision:

Shortly before he died, the great martial artist, Bruce Lee, developed his own technique of fighting called Jeet Koon Do, based on formless, spontaneous intuitive movements. The few people who had the opportunity to study with him claim that it was the most brilliant form of martial arts ever devised. Lee refused to teach it to anyone unless he had already achieved a black belt or its equivalent in a traditional school of karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, aikido, judo, or jujitso. He said, "I cannot teach you to go beyond form until you have mastered form".

That bears repeating.

"I cannot teach you to go beyond form until you have mastered form."

Enough said.

end note: For the commenter on the Waiting to Exhale post who wanted to know what I meant by "white space", I meant just that. Space that is white--no text at all. White space allows the reader time to fill in the blanks and digest what's come before.

There is an art to knowing how much the reader needs, and when. White space demands very from genre to genre. I hope this clarifies it for you.