On Writing

by Stephen King

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Recently, I read Stephen King’s book, ‘On Writing’, which I found thoroughly enjoyable. The book starts off with parts of Stephen’s life which lead him to be a writer. It was interesting and it was nice to know he struggled too, but I was really wanted to read about writing. When I got to the writing side of things, that’s where I paid the most attention. It was interesting to know how he wrote and what he considers important for writing. I know everyone has different opinions on writing but there were some interesting tips in this book;

* A writer should do two things above all others; Read a lot and write a lot (I’m getting better at the first part, need to do the second part more)
* A writer needs three important tools which will be learnt along the way 1; Vocabulary 2; Grammar and 3; Basic Elements of Form and Style
* It’s not really write what you know (I’m sure Stephen King doesn’t know much about killing, etc) instead write honestly (eg. you will get a feeling of how the characters will act and talk, don’t try to censor the characters in any way)

One thing Stephen King does talk about which I found really interesting was the fact that he doesn’t plan his books; he says he is just the transcribers and the first reader. As he writes, the characters develop and end up telling him the story. I know there are heaps of books on writing but this one was just short, simple and a joy to read. I do think Stephen King offers some interesting insight into his art and writing in general.

I would like to leave you with how Stephen views writing; Writing is Telekinesis (the writer paints a picture through his words and the reader sees the same image.)