Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 creative writing rules changed how I write stories
Vonnegut’s eight rules have always stuck with me, no matter what I write.
And if you’ve ever read a Vonnegut novel, you’ll know why:
His writing makes you burst out laughing, cringe at the absurd characters, and sometimes stare into space, wondering “what the hell is the meaning of life anyway?”
The legendary satirist behind Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five wasn’t just a literary icon: he was a teacher. “You’re in the entertainment business,” he told his students at the University of Iowa. “Your first job is to hook the reader. Your second is to keep them reading.”
Whether you’re writing an elevator pitch to sell your SaaS, a video script, or a sci-fi short story, you’ve probably wrestled with these same questions:
How do you hook the reader? And how do you keep them reading?
In this article, we’ll unpack Vonnegut’s eight creative writing rules — which he shared in the preface to Bagombo Snuff Box — and how they’ve helped shape the way I write almost everything.
TLDR: Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 creative writing rules
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
Start as close to the end as possible.
Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964). She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that.
Let’s break them down, rule-by-rule
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
Reading is a time investment, and your readers should leave with something they didn’t arrive with: whether it’s simply feeling different or seeing something in a totally new light. Sometimes, your readers might pick up on things you don’t expect or even intend — a hallmark of great writing and art. But you can only know what your readers think by getting your writing in front of them. So keep experimenting and clicking ‘publish’.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
Whether your protagonist is your target audience looking to overcome a challenge, a powerful warrior in a fantasy novel, or a cardboard box, we need to follow someone or something through a story. Only then can readers become emotionally invested — and stick with the character through every challenge they face.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
Whatever your character desires, it keeps your story moving. For example, The Big Lebowski is one of the most well-known movies of all time, and yet it’s about a dude who just wants his rug back — which gets him caught up in a crime. Whenever I edit each sentence in a story, I now ask: What does this character want? Sometimes, answering that turns a vague scene that means very little into a clear arc.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
One of my favourite editing tips is not to be taken too literally. For example, some descriptions of the setting could support the plot later or reveal something about the character. But if you can’t make that simple argument? Remove the sentence. The pace of your story will be better for it.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
I’ve written many short stories where the first few paragraphs turned out to be throat-clearing before the real beginning. Cut the preamble so your reader can be thrown into the mystery of your story and the world it’s set in. Entering a story ‘in media res’ is exciting for us to write — and that excitement will carry through to your reader.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
There’s a reason why Game of Thrones was the biggest show of the 2010s: many characters we grew to love died, and we empathised with the survivors and “rooted for them” (thank you, rule two). Simply, characters need to overcome challenges and some characters need to die. We love a good redemption story: the ‘man in hole’ story arc, when a character overcomes adversity and ends up better off, earns the highest of all movie genres.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
There’s a common metaphor that publishing writing online is like speaking in an auditorium. But I think that’s bull. Writing is special because it’s one-to-one. While many people can absorb a video, a speech, or a piece of art as a shared experience, it takes time and focus for someone to read a text and then interpret and imagine it in their unique way. Writing is a personal transmission between me and you. And if one person needs your story, there are others, just like them, who need it too.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
Suspense is fine, but I’ll throw a book out the window if the ‘mystery character’ in chapter one is not revealed after three or four chapters. Don’t assume your readers won’t get bored with constant cliffhangers that don’t have a payoff.
Come back when you’re stuck
Which of these rules resonates with you? I think about (and quote) rule seven very often: Write to please just one person.
After all, I want to connect with you, the reader, by thinking we have similar goals, curiosities, and interests.
And like me, you too are searching for ways to become a better writer that help your habits, writing confidence, and the quality and energy you commit to every sentence.
Whenever I feel stuck mid-draft or unsure if a piece is working, I return to these eight Vonnegut’s rules. And if one person also finds value in them, or is now keen to start reading this fantastic writer, then I’ve achieved everything I set out to do.
