Look at me reading non-fiction. Wow. I must be growing up.
Does this mean I've read any of Stephen King's fiction? Ha, no. For starters, I'm a wimp, and I know it. So I've never picked up a horror book. For enders, most of Stephen King's books are massive monsters that will be probably eat a reader alive very large. Large books scare me [again, wimp here]. I've heard many good things about King's writing/writing style, so when I grow up, I want to read one of his books. But for now, I've at least read this one.
On Writing begins like a memoir. King discusses his growing-up years, what led him to become a writer, some of his pitfalls, and so forth. He also refers to a lot of his books, so sometimes I just had to wing it and pretend like I knew what he's talking about. It wasn't a bit deal, but in retrospect, I probably should've realized that was going to happen.
But you know. You live. You learn.
I love his approach to writing and being a writer.
"why shouldn't writers be able to go bonkers and still stay sane?"
You can write weird things, crazy things, soul-dark things and still be an everyday human. Writers, fantasy writers, horror writers, contemporary writers, are not psychos; they don't have to have any kind of disorder.
Writers aren't special cases.
[Not that we mind people thinking we are sometimes.]
"The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time."
King is open and vulnerable about his addictions throughout his life. He's very honest about the lies he originally believed about them and his later realization that these addictions weren't helping him be a better writer. They were just helping him be an awful person. He kicks those myths aside and tells us that writing is not the product of substance abuse. Writing is the product of your sitting in the chair and actually writing. I appreciate Stephen King's honesty on this topic. I respect him for writing it despite how difficult it might have been for him. It really is a lie that many people believe, writers and non-writers alike, and needs debunking.
"stopping a piece of work just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position."
Writing isn't all rainbow bridges to creative worlds and epiphany unicorns and world-changing glitter.
Writing is work. Sometimes it feels boring and tedious, but that doesn't mean you stop. You don't stop because you want to. You don't stop because the feels aren't coming. And just because it feels bad doesn't mean it is actual bad. Like in any job, you hit ruts. But hit ruts like a bulldozer: just keep going.
"put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support-system for art. It's the other way around."
This put things in perspective for me. If you're writing but not living, then you're doing a bad job at both. Living isn't about writing. Writing is about living, so you've got to put life, your health, your family and friends, your beliefs, etc., first.
"Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story"
Stephen King has a practical approach to the mechanics of writing that I appreciate so much. The latter half of the book focuses on writing advice. I agree with a lot of his points especially those about grammar, dialogue, and plot.
"I distrust plot for two reasons . . . our lives are largely plotless . . . plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren't compatible."
"Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation."
"All the arts depend upon telepathy to some degree, but I believe that writing offers the purest distillation."
I love the way King describes writing as an art. Yes, writers are normal people, but we still like to think we have superpowers or magic, pretend that we're wizards or dragons. [Don't normal people do that too?]
If you're a writer, I would definitely recommend this book. It's informative, funny, and down-to-earth. It's still enjoyable and helpful even if you've not read any or much of Stephen King's other works.
What are some nonfiction works you've read recently or would recommend?
"Words have weight. Ask anyone who works in the shipping department of a book company warehouse, or in the storage room of a large bookstore."
