I’m not much for rules, but I love the Guardian’s book blogs and the series on writers that it frequently runs. In February, they ran a series “Rules for writers” in which they interviewed “some of the most esteemed contemporary authors for any golden rules they bring to their writing practice.”

I really enjoyed that series and thought some of the answers were pretty clever. So with a nod to the Guardian, here are some of my rules for writing (journalism, not fiction).

1. Once in a while, read things that fall out of your comfort zone and challenge your ideas about the world.

2. Make your workspace beautiful and pleasing to the eyes. The more you like it and the more comfortable you are there, the more you’ll want to spend time in it.

3. Question everything you’re told.

4. Don’t forget to eat lunch.

5. Spend your ideas. If you keep saving your best ones for later, you won’t give yourself the freedom and space to come up with new ones.

6. Before you end your work each day, schedule one thing for the next day that you can’t wait to do.

7. Do some of it for the money, some of it for the acclaim, some of it because you want to, and some of it just for fun.

8. Don’t be afraid of fighting when you’re right, or accepting when you’re wrong.

9. There will always be people who disagree with you, who hate you or try to bully you. Don’t make them your problem.

10. Make your own rules. And sometimes, break them too.