On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
I confess, I am not a huge fan of Stephen King the horror-genre novelist. Although, I did enjoy The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, but I don’t consider these horror novels. I am, however, a huge fan of Stephen King the writer and his treatise on the writing craft.
He starts out in his book ,
“This is a short book because most books on writing are filled with bullshit… I figured the shorter the book, the less the bullshit.” (p. ix)
With his minimal no-BS approach, King’s book had me captivated throughout each section with his honesty and realistic tenacity on writing.
A Few Insights
- Remember Rule 17 from The Elements of Style – “Omit needless words”
- Your job as a writer is to recognize ideas when they show up and write about them
- Write with the door closed (first draft); then re-write with the door open (second draft)
- Writing is a lonely job; having someone believe in you makes it worthwhile
- Good writing is truth-telling
- Writing is always about the story
- Two essentials needed:
- Read a lot
- Write a lot
- Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life
- Write what you love to read
- Write what you know with breadth and inclusion
- The most valuable lessons are the ones you teach yourself
- Never stop writing
The Writer’s Toolbox
I really resonated with Stephen King’s metaphor of a carpenter’s toolbox to encourage writers to create their own toolbox to help them build their craft of writing. The writer’s toolbox would have a few drawers holding various, essential tools.
- Worth highlighting again – read a lot
- And write a lot
- Have a writing room
- And a writing goal
- First draft – with the door closed
- Second draft – with the door open
- Second draft is the first draft minus 10%
- Words have weight
- Use topic sentences
- Paragraphs are the basic unit of writing
- Learn the beat (the rhythm) of paragraphs
- Vocabulary
- Write the first word that comes to mind
- Use words that are appropriate
- Use words that are colorful
- Grammar
- Follow the rules
- Rules are simple – nouns and verbs
- Avoid the passive voice
- Adverbs suck
- Adverbs are not your friends
- The road to hell is paved with adverbs!
- Worth repeating, adverbs suck!
“For me, writing has always been best when it’s intimate, as sexy as skin on skin.” (p. 76)
“Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around.” (p. 101)
“Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather… Dumbo didn’t need the feather; the magic was in him.” (p. 127)
Leave a Reply