Remember when you were little and your parents or teachers told you to be a good little girl and you'd get a reward?  Play by the rules and you'd win the game?

So where's your reward?  And how come you're not winning the game?  Maybe it's time to take another look at some of those writing 'rules.'

I'm not talking about all those supposed 'rules' about point of view or what kind of occupation your hero or heroine can 'never' have.  Neither am I referring to rules of grammar, without which you risk writing prose that no one can understand.  Rather, I'm referring to some of the rules attached to the business side of writing.

For instance, how many times have you been told you shouldn't multiple submit to publishers?  Why not?  That's exactly what agents do, you know. Considering how long a manuscript can languish on an editor's desk, you could spend years getting your work read by even a handful of people if you don't multiple submit.  It's true there are some houses, such as Harlequin and Silhouette, which forbid multiple submissions and keep track of such things on computer.  I won't debate the unfairness of this here, but it never hurts to check with a house to find out their individual policy on multiple submissions. Most publishing houses will allow it.

Have you ever been told you should never telephone an editor?  Why not?  Is there something really wrong with calling after a month or two months or three months and politely asking if your manuscript has been received?  Or calling to inquire if the rumor you heard about the publisher's new line for romances that happen to sound just like yours is true?  Or calling to ask who you should address your query letter to?  Notice, I'm not suggesting you call to pitch your book idea over the phone, or badger the editor about why they didn't buy your book.  Rudeness is always out of line, and very unprofessional.  But a polite phone call won't end your career, and could very well put you ahead of the game.

An unpublished author can never sell on a partial.  This is a rule I heard, before I did it.  While it's probably a better idea to have at least one complete manuscript under your belt ‑‑ if only to prove to yourself that you can write all the way through to the end ‑‑ I think there are times when querying an editor about a work in progress is fine.  For instance, if the publishing house is opening up a new line and your story seems to be what they're looking for.  Or if the editor has requested the partial, even though she knows the book isn't finished (it does happen.)  Send a query first, and state upfront if the book is unfinished and where you are in the writing process. 

How about: You have to be published before you can _________. You fill in the blank ‑‑ speak at a conference, hold an office, write an article for the newsletter, teach a class, judge a contest.  This rule cries out to be broken, because published or not, you have a wealth of information and talent to share with others. I challenge each of you to try your hand at breaking a rule or two this next month.