Story is about principles, not rules.
That one sentence says everything about creative writing in general. Writing by rules kicks out the magic.
I myself give lessons 'creative writing' to college students, and this introduction from Robert McKee always has been relevant and is here to stay, if you ask me...
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I believe story is about people and their life, experience, dreams and goals. I use theme/question to examine all this.
Story is a force it cannot be contained or defined by rules, forms or people. Defining it, lead to codifying, which leads to standardisation, which enables scammers to point to that and say “I know the rules”.
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One of my favourite takes on this was by RB when he said a lot that advice out there isn't a strict set of directions, it's a compass bearing to help you find your way.
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When I teach my collage level beginning screenwriting class I begin by explaining that screenwriters don't need no stinkin' rules. Many have a difficulty understanding the difference between format and structure.
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We've all heard stories, read books and seen films since we were kids. Our brains have a way to tell a good story from a bad one. Let your characters guide your story, forget about theories!