The 372 Rules

Writing lessons extracted from the podcast's most instructive disasters.

25 rules

A Whole Lot Of References

Ep. 2 @ 29:40 — Ready Player One

"Making a list is not writing"

A variety of '80s dance moves

Ep. 1 @ 0:16:01 — Ready Player One

"Give the reader some level of detail to visualize the scene you're painting."

All That We But See or Seem

Ep. 3 @ 59:11 — Ready Player One

"Don't substitute vagueness for depth"

An Almost Preternatural Gift For International Finance

Ep. 2 @ 40:40 — Ready Player One

"A Character's Natural Talents Must Be Judiciously Granted"

And The Beat Goes On...And On...And On...

Ep. 3 @ 35:28 — Ready Player One

"A compelling narrative requires an increase in intensity"

Classic Classic Classic Classic Classic Classic Classic Classic

Ep. 5 @ 42:47 — Ready Player One

"Eschew semantic satiation"

Flatcap Bleriana'd Chekov's Condom

Ep. 8 @ 33:20 — Ready Player One

"Don't set up things without paying them off."

Get Out Of The House

Ep. 2 @ 26:14 — Ready Player One

"Creativity Requires Input"

Hairy-Knuckled Chucks

Ep. 3 @ 17:55 — Ready Player One

"Don't betray your underlying premise"

He already had the codes!

Ep. 7 @ 19:20 — Ready Player One

"Excitement requires the existence and persistence of challenging obstacles."

I wasn't really sure, and I didn't really care

Ep. 6 @ 1:13:13 — Ready Player One

"If you describe potential tension only to immediately defuse it, you've just wasted the reader's time."

Like An Anvil! No Wait: An Atomic Bomb!

Ep. 2 @ 26:35 — Ready Player One

"Pick A Metaphor And Stick To It"

My bullet bill is gonna be huge!

Ep. 6 @ 29:05 — Ready Player One

"Action requires stakes."

One Of Me

Ep. 2 @ 0:21:41 — Ready Player One

"Don't make all your characters you"

One Of Us

Ep. 1 @ 0:18:58 — Ready Player One

"To be believable, characters should not all be the same."

Put Away The Soapbox

Ep. 1 @ 26:20 — Ready Player One

"Characters Should Express Their Opinions, Not Yours"

Reality is real

Ep. 8 @ 1:04:04 — Ready Player One

"Morals are for fables."

Stop Trying On Hats

Ep. 5 @ 51:51 — Ready Player One

"Characters Must Treat Urgent Situations Urgently"

The Fleisch-Kincaid Factor

Ep. 1 @ 22:45 — Ready Player One

"Write at the level your audience is comfortable reading."

Time Makes Fools Of Us All

Ep. 4 @ 14:20 — Ready Player One

"Attend To How You Describe Time"

Trucks Carrying Goods and Workers

Ep. 1 @ 0:21:35 — Ready Player One

"Good world-building requires thinking out the consequences of your operating premises and having them thoroughly inform the rest of your story."

What I Can Only Describe As

Ep. 3 @ 1:10:01 — Ready Player One

"Don't Announce Your Limitations To The Readers"

Where Does The Time Go?

Ep. 2 @ 35:05 — Ready Player One

"Expertise Is Bounded By Lived Hours"

Why Do We Need To Know This?

Ep. 4 @ 13:00 — Ready Player One

"Describe Only Necessary Technology And Only As Much As Is Necessary"

You're The Author

Ep. 8 @ 30:15 — Ready Player One

"Use the contrivance that most easily enables you to communicate the story."