Great, aren't they? Show don't tell. Dispense with the adjectives. Start in the middle, show any backstory along the way. Reader's on a need-to-know basis. Oh, and write active, not passive.

Who's wrist hasn't been slapped for that last one. Don't write “The ball was thrown by Jake,” say “Jake threw the ball” and make it direct, forceful, immediate. It's true, the construct will make your sentences more pithy, the story will go along faster.

But guess what, I've found myself changing it back to passive quite a few times recently. As ever, it made me think about these “rules”. They're like pie-crust. Not always necessary and made to be broken.

The thing about the active versus the passive is, it's there for a reason. Life is not always active, and quite often we have things done to us. “Jake was beaten by Tom and Dick” is a materially different sentence from “Tom and Dick beat Jake”. It really depends what effect you're looking for as to which one you'll choose.

The rules are all right. They help. They'll get a story crafted, it'll be readable. But there's nothing like ignoring a rule and knowing that it really works. It's through these breakages and cracks that a really brilliant story will often shine through.