Fiction Packet Reflection

Fiction, regardless of what anyone says, has few guidelines. There are no limits to the writer or the reader except that it's interesting, and that it is indeed fictional. You can perfectly describe a character, or leave much of it to the reader's imagination. You can say "was" or "is" or whatever you like. You can describe in detail or without any. The more you think about rules and guidelines, the more dull it gets. It will sound robotic and flat. It will not have an ounce of individuality. You don't need the senses to tell a story as Burroway suggests, though they are probably pretty useful in keeping the reader interested. I agree with most everything that Burroway and Goldberg say about fiction writing, but I don't think all of it is necessary to write a compelling piece of fiction. The best way to go about applying rules and guidelines to a fiction story is after the fact. Put all notions of rules and guidelines aside and write most if not all of the fiction story. Then go back and if it is missing something, or just not interesting enough, examine the guidelines given by Burroway, Goldberg or other writers such as Vonnegut and apply them to your story.