Mariah's+Response

The most important rule of "Neil Gaiman's Rules for Writing" for me as a writer would have to be the first one he put: to write. Speaking for myself only, though I'm sure this would apply to many other writers, if I'm not working on a writing piece I'm not being a very good writer. Furthermore, how can I expect to improve my craft if I can't be bothered to open up a document and practice it? Writing is the key to writing.

Beyond its inherent and undeniable importance, the other listed "rules" seem to be more of suggestions. Rule 1 and rule 3 (on some occasions) are the only ones that seem mandatory. The others could be argued as not necessary because as long as you're putting words on paper and practicing the art of writing passionately and wholeheartedly, you've managed to succeed at your goal.

The third rule, to do whatever it takes to finish, is valuable but can still be made to seem like a suggestion. An author like myself will tend to toy with ideas and write chapters just to get a feel for the things flying around in their head. A lot of the time in my own case, that chalks up to nothing, but the writing is still valuable because it's still evidence that I've attempted to work on something and have gotten that much closer to understanding the art. Plus, the way I see it, I've taken another step toward developing my narrative voice while also pumping myself up for other pieces that might do better at holding my interest. Unfinished stories are just facts of the writing life but that doesn't mean they have to be sad facts.

Therefore, I think the first rule is so important that it may as well be the only rule on the list. After all, a writer who doesn't write is no more a writer than a painter or an athlete in the final shakedown.