Jack Kerouac's...Strange Rules For Writing

Jack Kerouac has 30 rules for writing, and some of them are a bit weird!

I've taken what I think are the most useful ones that I think we can learn from and give you my thoughts on them.

Here's the full list of Kerouac's tips:

OTHER WRITERS:

As usual, let me know if you agree with me, Jack Kerouac, or neither of us!

Whatever kind of stories you write, I think it's useful to look at other writers and see what we can learn from them.

Some of the most useful advice about writing I've ever come across was from famous writers I hadn't read beforehand.

Let me know what you make of Jack Kerouac's tips in the comments!

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[litabrooker]

I use my mobile phone to take photos of the world around me and use them to spark short stories. Thanks, Kieren.

[shalini_sevani]

Whoever is thinking of using Kieren's editing service should go for it. Totally worth it.

[unrealnews]

"You're a genius all the time" is the bangiest banger I ever heard bang.

Dude, listen to what the man is saying, and watch your reaction. He's not a fool. He knows it isn't true, but if you want to write, you write as though you have never had a dull thought, but he can't say "Write as if...". 1) Weakens the idea. 2) To write "as if" is distinct from writing.
Also, If you are a genius all the time, you may see ways in which the errors you've made contain genius. If you dismiss your mistakes as idiocy from an idiot, your next sentence, if you give yourself permission to write it, is riddled with your own bullet holes before it reaches the period.

[MasterZeustastic]

Crisp and to the point advice, need more of these videos.

[litabrooker]

I write down where the idea came from - the well, the bottom of the well. Writing it down and keeping that seedling is useful when despair sets in, or when the inner saboteur wants to beat me up.

[rickrigdon]

Thanks so much Kieren - your thoughts are so helpful. Rick

[Speed]

I love the way you just jumped right into it...

[markbrandon]

An incredible writer friend of mine says “where the writer elides, the reader provides”. You’re right to say the writer needs to give room for the reader’s imagination. Where the writer is striving to convey an ‘exact’ picture of the world as they see it, the prose can often feel stifling. A(nother) nice video. 👍🏻

[france]

A little off topic but i’m liking your mood lighting!

As always, love these empowering advice videos of yours, Kieren. I’m marathoning some while in the middle of a long writer’s block.

[СумирэЛаоши]

Ok, that is the first time in my life, when I can say that I am the first viewer of a youtube video. Thank you ❤

[ariesmarsexpress]

9:49, I have found useful in specific areas. If I am writing a scene that has the characters discombobulated or dazed or in some way out of tune with what's going on around them, i need to make the reader feel the same way and I am not going to tell them I am doing it. This means bending the rules to bend reality.

[JoeyPaulOnline]

Love that last one 😅 But I do agree with you that interpretation isn't universal and that's okay, we tell our stories and readers find some of their own meaning to it.

[Eldalynn]

I always love these videos. I’m able to take away a little nugget of wisdom that keeps me inspired to keep going on my writing

[francinem]

Thanks Kieren 😊 re the bottomless bottom of the mind, ive found that opening into each character gleans depth into the theme and progress of the plot and character arc

[ToTheNines]

Sometimes when I’m at work a random dialogue line will pop in my head, that either just phonetically sounds good or is just very interesting or perhaps funny, so I’ll jot it down. Nevermind I might not have a scene or characters for those lines yet 😂

[carololiveira]

Extremely ironic that Kerouac wants us to see the exact picture he intended and then gives advice in riddles, lol

[burnoutminion]

I'm writing a story with a background set in Malaysia, which is why a lot of the dialogue I'm mindful of the use of language and the syntax, to make it sound like something Malaysian would say in their daily conversation rather than something that's formally right and polished. For example, someone may say "Where you grad?" when he actually meant to say, "Where did you graduate from?". To me it makes more sense. Just wonder what's your thought on this in writing a story.

[mayorathfoglaltvolt]

When I write, I write for myself. It is more than enough to me, if I enjoy reading my own lines. Actually, the reason I started writing is, I haven’t found a book that truely spoke to me. So I write to have something to read.

[QuiEstJohnGalt]

Bret Easton Ellis, Jorge Luis Borges, Arthur C Clarke, Albert Camus & Guy de Maupassant, do they have some advices for us too ?

[Leon_K_]

The best advice I got in college Creative Writing: Be clear and concise.