The tenets of writing are carved in the soul,
In ink that bleeds from mind’s deep scroll,
Where truth and fiction intertwine,
A place where shadows and light align.

First, there is honesty, raw and pure,
The courage to face what you’re unsure,
To peel back layers, reveal what’s real,
To write what only the heart can feel.

Then comes the craft, the careful hand,
That molds the chaos, makes it stand,
With rhythm, with meter, with flow and grace,
A structure that gives each thought its place.

Next is the voice, unique and strong,
A melody where your words belong,
It’s the fingerprint in every line,
The mark that makes the work truly mine.

There is also patience, slow and deep,
The willingness to dive, to leap,
To revise, to rewrite, to start anew,
To see the journey fully through.

And lastly, passion, the driving force,
The burning fire, the endless course,
For writing is not just what we do,
It’s the very essence of being true.

These tenets guide the writer’s hand,
They build the worlds where we all stand,
For in these rules, these sacred creeds,
The writer finds the words they need.