Rules are essential. We all know that from being children, having children, observing the children of others. Not to mention those children becoming adults. I actually appreciate good rules. Rules that make sense. Rules that provide logical boundaries to irrational, selfish, or harmful behavior. Rules that have their foundations in the Ten Commandments. Those are simple, logical, and pertinent rules. Impossible to keep but absolutely astute markers of human weaknesses and rule breaking tendencies.
Alright. So. Uniformity? There is value in uniformity. If you walk into an establishment where the employees wear something to identify them, it is helpful—even if it’s only a uniform type of nametag. That way you don’t go asking another customer if they can help you find something. That has actually happened to me—I must look helpful. Or maybe I just looked like I should be working there.
If any of you have ever been interested in screenwriting, you know there is a format for writing a script. You can buy copies of film scripts from different places to use as examples plus you can buy software to download script writing programs. There is a technically uniform method for scripts, and without using it you won’t get a first look from professionals.
Okay. Next of course is novels. Rules. Uniformity. Necessary? Yes. And somewhat no. Why somewhat no? Because style is a part of creativity. And while the objective is to make a quality story engage and sustain a reader’s interest, does it have to look exactly like every other novel when it’s printed?
Many professionals in publishing hate italics. If you doubt that, jet over to Chip MacGregor’s blog and read Zondervan editor Andy Meisenheimer’s post. In the comments my opinion is in the decided minority. However, the best reason given against italics, in my opinion, is Rebecca Luella Miller’s where she states she finds them hard to read. That’s a legitimate complaint. Previously, I’d read similar hatred for italics from award winning author Angela Hunt.
The argument against them is—at least I think this is the argument—that a (herewego) good writer shouldn’t need to use them to indicate POV changes or interior monologue or God’s thoughts/words or the character’s thoughts. Big surprise I disagree. So, what we’re advocating here is no change in text when a character reacts silently to someone else’s words or actions, when God speaks to one character privately, when an interior monologue takes place in the middle of a scene or action requiring both overt and silent reaction/commentary from the character(s). That a good writer can pull off interior monologue or simple silent reactions by changing tense in the middle of dialogue or action without causing a glitch in the reading . . . Yeah? Hmmm. Show me. I want to see what this looks like.
Personally, I don’t care if a writer chooses not to use italics if, and honestly I think it’s a pretty big if in some cases, that writer can pull it off effectively. Great. Do it. And if a writer decides to use italics to indicate any changes in anything, I say fine. Do it. Why in the world of writing do we have to make some fairly inconsequential writing tools “right” and other things suddenly “wrong” in this business of creating novels?
Now if you choose to write as T. S. Eliot did in his poems, that would distract me in novel form. I like some structure and capitals. I like italics. I like sections occasionally instead of chapters. I like forewords, prologues, epilogues, preludes, and all sorts of variety in the novels I read. I like the chapters titled, numbered with a number or the number written out in varying fonts. I even like bold type once in awhile. It’s fun to see the variations in creativity—and, yes, as long as the story is a good one.
I cannot imagine why it has to be narrowed down to limited usages. To suggest italics are an illustration of a method used by an inexperienced or lesser quality writer is bizarre to me. And not just because I use them. But because I happen to like them if they work within a story I’m reading.
Uniformity? I guess it’s just another point of disagreement in the ever widening chasm between me and the current world of publishing.
Aren’t we just so smug sometimes? Professionals (or not) passing judgment on methodologies, styles, lengths, formats, types, voices, and whatever else we decide we don’t like, declaring them inferior. Don’t get me wrong—if it’s your company, your establishment, you can use what you want, like best, and have decided works for you, but, geez, who are you to criticize someone else’s ways to communicate their stories in something so subjective as the appeal of writing?
Give me versatility in writing novels and humility in producing and reading them. Please.
Lord, you know my heart here. Please help me not to be critical. Please help me to keep doing what you would have me do. Please continue to give me your encouragement and help me to focus on what is truly important. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
*PLEASE PRAY FOR KRISTY DYKES*
Into the Fire 
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