When to break the rules of writing: how and why to Experiment

There’s a point in every writer’s journey when you realise the rules, the ones you've been diligently following, are not commandments but conventions. They're guidelines. Or handrails. Ideas that work brilliantly until they don’t. And sometimes, the best writing happens when you break them.

This isn’t a green light for chaos. You have to know the rules before you break them. You have to understand how rhythm works before you fragment a sentence. You need to learn what a story arc is before you bend it, or break it. But once you do, experimentation can lead to extraordinary storytelling.

So when should you consider breaking the rules? And how can you do it well? Luckily there are loads of great examples. 

The incredible shrinking novel: why short fiction is having a big moment

In a world of content overload, time-poor readers are gravitating toward something they can actually finish: short novels. Once the preserve of indie publishers and experimental authors, the slim literary novel is now front and centre, scooping prizes, going viral on BookTok, and dominating bookshop displays.

From Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These to Samantha Harvey's Orbital, these compact works of fiction pack a punch around 200 pages. No filler. No indulgent middle act. Just distilled intensity, executed with precision.