Vonnegut's 8 Rules for Writing Fiction

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » April 13th, 2007, 2:26 pm

It shouldn't be surprising how closely these 8 things align with what we're taught in improv.

Kurt Vonnegut's Eight rules for writing fiction:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

-- Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut, Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons 1999), 9-10.

bilbo · Post by **bilbo** » April 13th, 2007, 6:49 pm

30 really is as weird as you think it will be. you will awaken on the morning of your birthday and will notice your body is millimeters smaller.

Mo Daviau · Post by **Mo Daviau** » April 14th, 2007, 12:34 pm

30 is awesome. 31, however, is really lame, so you've got 366 days (you get a leap day this year) to enjoy it. Happy Birthday, Roy!

beardedlamb · Post by **beardedlamb** » April 14th, 2007, 1:02 pm

speaking of birth, you guys know vonnegut died, right?
or is that in the "books" section of the forum i never look at?

Jessica · Post by **Jessica** » April 20th, 2007, 9:30 am

These rules have really helped me in building my latest clown act. I have them taped in my notebook. They really help to correct some of my standard difficulties. I have had a hard time using this in Improv, however. To be honest, I have a hard time remembering platform, yes, and, take care of your partner, all while trying to be honest and react naturally. If I add another 8 rules to that, I'll just explode.

apiaryist · Post by **apiaryist** » February 6th, 2009, 4:40 pm

Bump.

amylyn · Post by **amylyn** » April 8th, 2009, 9:06 pm

i am reading palm sunday

mpbrockman · Post by **mpbrockman** » April 8th, 2009, 11:03 pm

Cat's Cradle is my all time favorite.

"Lucky me, lucky mud..."