Stephen King on Writing

I was pretty skeptical about picking up a book about writing. This is not to say I was above doing so but that I was unclear on how one could be taught how to be a writer. That all changed when I bought Anna Lamott's, Bird by Bird last fall.

Her well-written and honest take on how writing is both painful and capable of offering unparalleled fulfillment inspired me to pick up another. This time, I bought Stephen King's, On Writing. 

I can't claim to be the biggest Stephen King fan. In fact, I don't think I've read any of his books until this one. But this one is no less than a Master Class. It's a simple collection of personal stories sprinkled in with some helpful do's and don'ts. King mostly nudges but isn't shy about some habits he considers nothing less than blasphemous. ("The road to hell is paved with adverbs.")

Here are some of the lessons I've taken away so far. I hope you find them as helpful as I do:

-- Omit all needless words

-- The editor is always right

-- NEVER staple a manuscript

-- Stopping a piece of work just because it's hard either emotionally or imaginatively is a bad idea.

-- Write for whatever reason you want. To save the world. To be heard. But don't EVER come to writing easily. Writing isn't curing cancer but it's also not putting on lipstick. Never be casual when you pick up a pen to say something.

-- Fear is usually at the root of bad writing. 

-- Good writing is usually about letting go of fear and affectation.