Fashion vs. Function

It seemed a common saying amongst the pretty and popular: "Fashion over function." I hate that saying. I'm a utilitarian. I wear cargo pants because I need all those pockets for my stuff.

In retaliation, I have always said I believe in "Function over fashion." It's true. But people often misunderstand it.

It is not "function instead of fashion." It simply means that I choose utility first. If I can also look good while I do things, that's even better. Just because I want to carry a lot of things in pockets doesn't mean I have to look like a dork. I will, however, choose to look like a dork if it is the best way of satisfying my needs.

I have taken a similar stance on writing. Your stories need to be, first and foremost, effective. You need to be able to convey your thoughts such that your readers will understand them. If people have no idea what's going on, they can't care. After you are coherent, then you can be pretty. You can work on your phrasing, your word choice, all of that stuff that heightens the experience.

Part of the whole writing a quick first draft is that you will be constructing your functionality. Make your characters, your plot, your actions and interactions. You will be able to tell your story so that everybody knows what happens. Your subsequent drafts will be making those words fashionable.

If you put a dress and makeup on a pig, it's still a pig. If you put tattered rags on a gorgeous human, it will be a fashion trend. So try to make your stories interesting and compelling at their core. Then you can dress it up any way you please.