Heinlein's Rules for Writing & Getting Published

I've heard a lot about Heinlein's Rules for Writing lately, and there's a good reason. If you want to get published, this simple set of rules if a formula for success.

First, what are Heinlein's Rules for Writing? As published in the 1947 essay "On the Writing of Speculative Fiction:"

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.

Robert A. Heinlein autographing at the 1976 WorldCon.
Courtesy of user Dd-b, Wikimedia Commons

Let's look at them one-by-one.

1. You must write.

This one is absurdly obvious, yet it's not as easy to do as it sounds. People run into time issues. They get distracted by the life events that HAVE to be done (or that, at the very least, FEEL like the things that have to be done.) I need to write, but first I need to do the dishes, check my email, call the dentist, run to the grocery store, make a snack for my kids, pack their lunches for tomorrow, check Facebook, vacuum the living room floor, work my day job, ...

Wow, there are a lot of excuses for why we can't write, aren't there? And many of them are completely valid (work and parenting come to mind). But you're not a writer if you aren't writing. Make the time. Make a date. Schedule it on your calendar. Steal five minutes here, five minutes there. Write on napkins. In short, find what helps you get to writing and then continue doing that something.

2. You must finish what you write.

Again, obvious. Again, easier said than done.

It's easier to start a project than to finish it. We get distracted in the lulls between the exciting parts. We get new ideas. We forget to make time to write. There are probably as many reasons to not finish as there are reasons to not write in the first place, but you have to finish or there was no point in starting. Don't let that turn you off. Make whatever plans you need to be able to write, just as above, and stick to it. If you get a new idea, jot it down in a notebook or make a document on your computer (phone/tablet/what have you) to keep new ideas in. That way, they can continue to evolve in your mind while you finish writing what you've already started.

3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.

Now, this one I have a bit of a problem with, so I'm going to change the meaning for me. You can take it as you want. I've known quite a few writers who get lost in the editing--they never stop. You have to get your manuscript to a good point and let it go. If it gets accepted, the editor will discuss changes. Now, if you self-publish, you should still be hiring a professional editor. At the very least, find someone else to look your work over for some line edits and story flow issues.

If you're submitting to traditional markets and they're asking you to use spell-check, you obviously need to do more editing. But you can't spend the rest of your life editing and never reaching the next step.

4. You must put the work on the market. 

You've written your story. You've edited it to a stopping point. Don't just file it now. Start submitting! If it's a short story, find short story markets, like magazines, anthologies, etc. If it's a novel, start hunting for an agent (if that's the way you choose to go). If you plan to self-publish, get the formatting done and get your book to market, whether that's POD and/or e-book, Create Space and/or Amazon. Nook and/or Kindle. Get your book (or short story!) out there.

5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold. 

Do it.

Okay, I should expand on that more. If you submit to an agent and get rejected, send it to another agent. Even better, as soon as you submit, have the information for the next agent in line. That way, when your rejection comes back, you don't have to hesitate or wallow, you just have to re-label that envelope (or re-write that email), and send it out again.

If you're submitting short stories (or other short works), do the exact same thing. If you submit to a market, know where you're sending it next. If they take simultaneous submissions, by all means submit to multiple places at once. Just be sure to mention this is a simultaneous submission, and to notify them if one market picks up your piece. You don't want to piss off markets you may want to submit to again in the future. And, in my experience, they're super nice when you let them know someone else purchased it. Given, that's limited experience, so don't hold me to it.

6. Shannon's Rule: Continue 1 & 2, even as you do 4 & 5.

While you're shopping those books/stories, you should be writing new ones. Set aside x amount of market research time, submit during that time, then write, write, write. And finish what you're writing. Number 5 is not a good place to stop. If you could see these rules as an image, they'd be the infinity snake, eating its own tail. Always keep writing.

By Elizabeth, clker.com

And, yeah, I need to follow my own advice.

What rule would you add? What do you think of these rules? How do you interpret number 3?

May you find your Muse.