So I have to admit, I've mostly been thinking of Boice's rules to mindful writing as a creative writer, and not as a writer in the academic sense. Yes, I am studying creative writing. But, I feel (and sincerely hope) that as a creative writer, I get to throw these rules out the window. I have to say that some of my most favorite pieces--of my own, that is--were written in what Boice would call a state of hypomania. Emotion drives plot, characters and my own interest in a narrative. It is what makes me write the way I do to make readers care, which is especially difficult in nonfiction. I think the most successful and brilliant authors were the ones who were emotionally unsound, too.
Boice notes that writing at times of high emotion prevent the stopping method of writing, and is therefore unproductive. This might be true for mindful writers, which I don't think I am. So I'm not sure I'm on board for establishing emotional moderation. I can almost identify with Boice's Rule 8, in which he instructs writers to let go of their perfectionist attitudes and just go. I get that. But at this point in the book, I'm not as willing to try Boice's methods. Sometimes writing needs to be stressful--emotional, dare I say. It's an incredibly intimate idea, to write and then let strangers read them. If I tried to keep all of Boice's rules in mind when writing, I think my head would explode.
It seems cruel to ask graduate students, or even new faculty members, to keep their emotions in check, because god forbid it affect their writing. We're human beings--emotional, feeling beings. It's irony, almost, that Boice asks us to let go of our attachments and emotions, but then gives us these rules to follow. I think I've broken many of his rules (namely these two, I realize), but it works for me. I can't say that I will use Boice's rules, but I'm sure there are those writers who need this sort of instruction. Try again next time, Boice.
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