Goodreads asked Colin Darney:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Colin Darney I still consider myself an aspiring writer, so let me share one aspiring writer's point of view with another: Write YOUR story. It's YOURS. It's not anyone else's, you don't have to follow anyone's advice, it's YOURS. And people who love to cite and state 'the rules', heh. I bought the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) after having many, many, many in-depth conversations with multiple editors regarding conflicting advice. The bottom line is there are no rules; only guidelines. Even the CMOS says that every single guideline is secondary to readability. Strive for readability. One of the best things I ever heard was an editor/moderator on a very well-trafficked site who said "editing is an art form, not a science."

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