Per Michael’s permission to post it here…
The Michael Knost Commandments for Fiction Writing
1. Thou shalt have something to say.
2. Thou shalt populate thy story with living individuals, not
characters.
3. Thou shalt give thy protagonist a want.
4. Thou shalt allow an antagonist to (at least temporarily) keep thy
protagonist from obtaining that want.
5. Thou shalt avoid temptations of clichés, puns, info-dumps, and
dream endings.
6. Thou shalt slay adverbs and adjectives with the jawbone of an ass.
7. Thou shalt research everything.
8. Thou shalt ensure thy words perform double and/or triple duties
when possible.
9. Thou shalt circumcise excess.
10. Thou shalt never remind the reader she is reading.
Ty Schwamberger 