V.S. Naipaul’s 7 Rules For Beginner Writers

Discover V. S. Naipaul’s 7 rules for beginner writers and learn practical writing advice to help you develop your craft and find your voice.

V. S. Naipaul (17 August 1932–11 August 2018) was a Trinidadian-British writer of Indo-Trinidadian heritage. He became known for his novels, travel writing, and autobiographical works, many of which explored the lasting effects of colonialism and the legacy of the British Empire.

Naipaul published more than 30 books during a career that spanned five decades. His early novels were often comic and set in Trinidad and Tobago, while his later fiction took him to countries and cultures around the world, including India, Africa, the Islamic world, and North and South America. He also wrote extensively about his own life and experiences as a traveller.

His best-known novels include A House For Mr Biswas and A Bend in the River. In 2001, Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature ‘for having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny in works that compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories’.

V.S. Naipaul drew up this list for beginner writers at the request of the Indian news magazine Tehelka.

V.S. Naipaul’s 7 Rules For Beginner Writers

1. Do not write long sentences. A sentence should not have more than ten or twelve words.
2. Each sentence should make a clear statement. It should add to the statement that went before. A good paragraph is a series of clear, linked statements.
3. Do not use big words. If your computer tells you that your average word is more than five letters long, there is something wrong. The use of small words compels you to think about what you are writing. Even difficult ideas can be broken down into small words.
4. Never use words whose meaning you are not sure of. If you break this rule you should look for other work.
5. The beginner should avoid using adjectives, except those of colour, size and number. Use as few adverbs as possible.
6. Avoid the abstract. Always go for the concrete.
7. Every day, for six months at least, practise writing in this way. Small words; short, clear, concrete sentences. It may be awkward, but it’s training you in the use of language. It may even be getting rid of the bad language habits you picked up at the university. You may go beyond these rules after you have thoroughly understood and mastered them.

Advice: Source
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by Amanda Patterson

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