Stephen King On Writing
What I read: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Published July 6, 2010.
When you do an online search for “best books on writing” or a similar keyword permutation, this book by Stephen King consistently makes the lists. It’s often the most recommended book. This was the first result when I did a search and sure enough King’s book is the number one recommendation.
I’m not a big fan of books about the craft of writing. Art is generally a tough thing to teach or coach between the covers of a book. But this one kept being touted as different by writers I respect. It is.
For those interested in the life and craft of a successful writer, this short book, part memoir and part how-to, is about as satisfying a read as you’ll find. The focus is on writing fiction since that’s King’s forte. But as someone who writes mostly nonfiction, I found the lessons also applicable.
One of the moments that made me want to raise my hands with a heartfelt hallelujah was when I read that King does not write from an outline.
I’d suggest that what works for me may work equally well for you. If you are enslaved to (or intimidated by) the tiresome tyranny of the outline and the notebook filled with “Character Notes,” it may liberate you.
Writing guidance I’ve received in the past has leaned heavily on the necessity of the outline. Despite such directives, I have rarely used an outline for my own writing. There are times when a quick slapdash listing of section headings has proven useful. But a detailed outline? I’ve tended to avoid them.
Even during my technical writing career for which I’ve written entire books full of detailed and complex content, I’ve usually allowed the material to dictate structure. My process functions from the inside out and only after much of the meat of a piece of writing is drafted does the format reveal itself.
King leverages what he refers to as the core situation to guide how his stories unfold.
I lean more heavily on intuition, and have been able to do that because my books tend to be based on situation rather than story. Some of the ideas which have produced those books are more complex than others, but the majority start out with the stark simplicity of a department store window display or a waxwork tableau. I want to put a group of characters (perhaps a pair; perhaps even just one) in some sort of predicament and then watch them try to work themselves free. My job isn’t to help them work their way free, or manipulate them to safety—those are jobs which require the noisy jackhammer of plot—but to watch what happens and then write it down.
Whether starting from the core situation a character finds themselves in for fiction or the vital kernel of information to be conveyed in nonfiction, the allowance for freeform intuition to let the mind meander and find its best wording and organization seems to work for me. Perhaps it will for you. If you’ve encountered one too many rigid writing processes you are encouraged to adopt, maybe knowing a writer of King’s caliber and storytelling success avoids such rigidity can provide you with some much-needed justification.
Another writing and life lesson comes from the memoir aspect of On Writing. King did not come from an upbringing of means. Far from it. His childhood and early years were that of some financial struggle, hard work, and simple surroundings. Writing was his passion, and he undertook it with verve and vigor from the first time he could cobble together a cogent story. Passion and attitude win the day.
While one of King’s recommendations is to find a place to sequester yourself away from all distractions to do your art, in this case writing, he wrote in some rather non-fancy spaces in his early days. I believe most artists of all stripes require distraction-free isolation to do their best work. I do. But exactly what that space is could be a closet, laundry room, or fancy furnished office or art studio. The act of creating undisturbed is the key.
All it takes for me to become distracted from what I’m writing is to hear muffled television dialogue through a door or for someone to poke their head in to ask if I need something at the grocery story. Study after study concludes that we’re easily distracted creatures. It takes time for us to get back into the groove of what we were doing prior to being sidetracked. The solo artist life has its advantages.
If possible, there should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall. For any writer, but for the beginning writer in particular, it’s wise to eliminate every possible distraction. If you continue to write, you will begin to filter out these distractions naturally, but at the start it’s best to try and take care of them before you write. I work to loud music—hard-rock stuff like AC/DC, Guns ’n Roses, and Metallica have always been particular favorites—but for me the music is just another way of shutting the door. It surrounds me, keeps the mundane world out. When you write, you want to get rid of the world, do you not? Of course you do. When you’re writing, you’re creating your own worlds.
For what it’s worth, I need silence to write. But you do you as long as it creates the right atmosphere for creation.
For those who believe grammar isn’t necessary for good writing, you’ll be disappointed that King thinks proper grammar is important. Even when one might deviate from proper grammatical construction, it’s best to know what rule you’re violating so it’s done consciously with intent. King recommends a reference book many have suggested since its first publishing, The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. I’ve owned a copy since childhood.
Now for something King detests and of which I am consummately (note this is an adverb) guilty. Using adverbs. I populate my writing with a plentiful array of adverbs and King’s admonition to cut them whenever possible is a writing lesson I plan to take to heart. We’ll see how that goes. He makes a good point, but it’s going to be a habit that’s difficult to break.
Speaking of cutting, trimming the fat from one’s writing is always wise. Fewer words can often convey better than more. I tend to overwrite. Constant self-editing is my friend. That said, I could be more concise and King’s advice to eliminate useless words is one I’ll likely be working on the rest of my writing career.
One more thing that King highlights that syncs with my own experience. Good writers are avid readers. King does not believe a storyteller can write well unless they’ve read a lot of stories and novels. I contend the same applies to nonfiction writing as well. I’ve written about reading better and how to get more from nonfiction books. Reading is fundamental to my life. I can’t imagine a life without books. Even if one has no desire to be a writer, reading adds so much to our lives.
King offers many other tips on writing and insights into his own life which you’ll hopefully learn when you read this excellent book, but let me close with something I consider thematic throughout On Writing. Regardless of what life has thrown at King, he presses on undeterred. Whether it’s his relatively meager beginnings, a mountain of rejection slips, or a nearly fatal accident when he was hit by a car, King continues to approach life with a positive spin. Writer or not, that’s something we can all find inspiring.