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On Writing: What Gives Your Art Wings?
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” — Maya Angelou
There are rules to be followed and rules to be broken — and a less-than-rigid relationship between rule-following and success.
Conventional wisdom isn’t always best, because it doesn’t factor in how hard you’re willing to work, and the ever-changing nature of public desire. Let’s look at some pieces of conventional wisdom as it applies to the entertainment industry, including publishing, music, and more.
Keep book titles short, three to five words in fiction.
But a look at what’s at the top of the bestseller’s list right now doesn’t follow that rule: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, by Fredrik Backman, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, and The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford.
