“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weeklyupon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. “Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. In 1999, Stephen King began to write about his craft-and his life. By midyear, a widely reported accident jeopardized the survival of both. And in his months of recovery, the link between writing and living became more crucial than ever. Rarely has a book on writing been so clear, so useful, and so revealing. There is a reason why Stephen King is one of the bestselling writers in the world, ever. Described in the Guardian as 'the most remarkable storyteller in modern American literature', Stephen King writes books that draw you in and are impossible to put down. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the.
Stephen King and the art of writing
Whether in fiction or non-fiction, I hold a strong admiration for great writers and communicators. I am particularly fond of those who can educate, inspire and humour us in ways that retain their personality, humility and clarity. In a world of investing letters and memos, the likes of Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos and Mark Leonard are exemplar. And in the world of autobiographies, I’ve enjoyed reading several wonderful works this year. This includesKatherine Graham’s Personal History and Richard Feynman’s Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!.
Their works have made me reflect on the posts that I’ve shared on Minerva Review so far. While this website began as a personal project, it’s also picked up a number of visitors and subscribers along the way. When rereading some of our older posts, it makes me very grateful that you (our readers) have put up with some clunky writing (so thank you!). We’re all endeavouring to write better, but it’s a learning process that we’ll have to be patient with.
It’s perhaps with uncanny fortune that I stumbled upon a second-hand copy of Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. While I haven’t read his novels, I was excited to learn about his life’s work, creative process and tips for writing. But I came away with much more than that, with King recounting the events that shaped him as a writer, husband and father. This includes his battle with alcohol abuse and his near-death experience.
This post will focus on the lessons that King shares on the craft of writing. His insights have applications in non-fiction writing, some of which I hope to carry into future posts.
The craft of hard work
Stephen King doesn’t believe in the notion that great writers are made. In his view, awful writers are unlikely to become novelist through learning and practice alone. However, every writer can refine their craft with a lot of reading, writing and hard work.
Devourer of knowledge
From our frame of reference, King’s description of ‘reading a lot’ is an understatement. King notes how he would devour volumes of fiction (books, comics, movies, etc.) in his youth and early career. As an author, King reads about 70 to 80 novels a year for personal pleasure. For him, learning and inspiration is the by-product of his love for reading. While great books can offer you a standard to aspire to, terrible books will teach you the mistakes to avoid in yourself. Altogether, reading can offer us an unlimited source of knowledge and inspiration.
Less talking, more writing
Like in any other craft, King points out that the time we spend talking about writing is time we can spend on writing itself. He says there is little hope for the individual who doesn’t have the time or dedication to refine their craft. To write well, one has to read and write in large amounts. Note here that King is referring to about four to six hours of reading and writing every single day. He describes how Anthony Trollope, once a part-time writer, would write for two and a half hours every morning before he left for full time work.
King’s schedule
I found King’s own schedule even more interesting. He allocated his mornings to new compositions, afternoons to naps and letters, and his evenings for reading, family, revisions and Red Sox games. He aims for about 2,000 words every day. King himself did not take breaks, not even on Christmas or his birthday. He writes every single day and loves it. The author attributes his success and “disjointed growth” to a mix of “ambition, desire, luck and a little talent”.
Behind closed doors
King believes that writing should happen over two stages. The first involves writing with the ‘door closed’, where you write to yourself and your ideal reader. His ideal reader was his wife and author, Tabby King. The second phase involves rewriting and editing, which can happen with the ‘door open’. This is where you remove unneeded elements, refine your story and welcome feedback.
A far-seeing place
The author suggests that to write behind ‘closed doors’, one needs a ‘far-seeing place’. This is your favourite place to read, think and write. You can observe this in other prolific writers and thinkers too. For example, Michelle Obama recalls how her husband took an extended honeymoon with himself to finish his first memoir. Likewise, Bill Gates would make getaway trips to a secluded cabin in the Pacific Northwest, twice a year, for quiet time and space to read. Some room to read, think and write helps.
Stephen’s formula
“The only kind of writing is rewriting.”
Ernest HemingwayEditing is just as important as the first draft. King believes it helps when you enjoy the process. The biggest question King recommends his readers consider here is whether their writing is coherent. He also describes the benefit of taking a few days, weeks or even months away before coming back to your manuscript. Fresh eyes can help you to spot improvements that you would otherwise miss. While there’s no secret formula to writing or editing, there is one equation that King likes:
2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%
King also refers to William Strunk’s The Elements of Style, citing the principle of composition: “omit needless words”. It’s also valuable to collect specific feedback from people who are or proxy for your ideal reader.
The creative process
It appears fruitless to ask how authors like King get their ideas. Stephen King himself just doesn’t know. The challenge he says is not in creating new ideas, but in recognising them as they appear. For example, the inspiration for Carrie, his first major success, came from an article he read on poltergeists and his reflections on high school life.
Interestingly, King had almost abandoned his early work on Carrie if not for the urging and encouragement of Tabby King. He draws two important lessons from this. Firstly, one’s interpretation of their own work can be as incorrect as his or her audience’s. Secondly, you should not abandon a project just because you find it difficult. King describes how important it is to follow through sometimes. The paperback rights for Carrie eventually sold for $400,000 in 1973.
The creativity myth
King also disagrees with the notion that great writing springs from spontaneity or a flurry of inspiration. He believes that good writing can follow a disciplined work ethic. Similarly, in recounting his own battle with alcohol and drug abuse, he believes the relationship between “creative endeavour and mind-altering substances is one of the great pop-intellectual myths”. People abuse alcohol and drugs due to addiction. According to King, any form of rationalisation is self-serving.
Tools for the job
As King puts it, if we want to refine our craft in writing, then we’ll need a good toolbox. At the top layer of your toolbox is vocabulary and grammar. King doesn’t dwell too long on vocabulary. He observes how great writers can find success with very different vocabulary sets. Some keep it small and simple, while others are more decorative and vivid. His only tip here is to use the first colourful and appropriate word that comes to our mind.
Plums deify!
On grammar, King offers a little more. With his favourite example of “plums deify!”, King describes how even simple noun-verb constructions can have poetic weight. He also shares his two biggest grievances on this topic. Firstly, he dislikes writing that relies on the passive voice. Not only is it hard for the reader to understand, King believes the passive voice is one signal of an unsure writer. Secondly, “the adverb is not your friend”. We should opt for more expressive verbs instead. For example, King suggests how we can rewrite “he closed the door firmly” as “he slammed the door”.
Stephen King On Writing A Memoir Of The Craft
The element of style
The second layer in the toolbox are the elements of style. King describes how easy-to-read books tend to contain short paragraphs and plenty of white space. While paragraphs are important “maps of intent”, King believes they are also “important for how they look”. Since “writing is refined thinking”, King says good authors must be able to organise their thoughts and topics. Hence, rewriting and editing is key here. The more we read and write, the better our feel for paragraphing, the rhythm and composition.
Plotting with King
King suggests that narration, description and dialogue are the three important elements of stories and novels. Surprisingly, the author describes how he rarely ‘plots’ the direction of his books. He allows for characters, events and settings to evolve organically as he writes. This he believes allows for more natural and spontaneous writing. In this way, King likens the process of storytelling to ancient fossils. It’s the job of the author to uncover it with his or her toolbox.
Youthful optimism in the face of self-doubt
King recalls the endless rejections he faced throughout his early career. Not only from magazines, newspapers and publishers, but from his high school teachers as well. Reflecting on the wall of rejection slips of his youth, he describes “optimism [as] a perfectly legitimate response to failure”.
Stephen King On Writing A Memoir Of The Craft Quotes
King also reflects on the challenges as an early career writer. Working full time as a teacher, he often found himself exhausted by evening for writing. He recalls his despair about his future as a writer but credits the unfailing love and support from his wife. This helped him to manage his self-doubts and growing pains.
For better or worse, many writers will also have to carry their early reputations around, set in stone by critics of their past. According to King, a lot of literary criticism exists to “reinforce a caste system which is as old as the intellectual snobbery which nurtured it”. I think this rings true in many fields of academia (look at economics today!). These reflections are common experiences for people, whether you’re a writer or someone in business.
One more parallel for life
In writing, King advises against perfectionism and excessive attention to detail. Unless you’re wired that way, you’re risking the joy of writing itself. I think this is a fitting parallel for life: finding satisfaction in the journey and process. I also particularly enjoyed the final passage in King’s postscript, but I cannot spoil it here. You’ll have to read it for yourself. But I will end this post with my favourite quote from the book:
“Time was on my side; sooner or later the best-selling writers of the sixties and seventies would either die or go senile, making room for newcomers like me”.
Stephen King – On Writing, A Memoir of the CraftReferences
I adored Stephen King’s memoir. Whether you’re a writer or a fan of King’s work (or not), I think you’ll enjoy it too.
- King, S. (2000). On Writing: A Memoir of The Craft. More on Stephen King is available at <https://stephenking.com/>
- Strunk J.R, W., & White, E.B. (1959). The Elements of Style. Available at <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37134>
Further reading
“You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.”
Personally, I have never read a Stephen King novel in my life (so far). I have a copy of “It” thicker than the pages of homework I get and a couple of his other gems residing on my bookshelf, but I have not read his novels, despite loving the horror genre. Why? I’m not sure.
However, my mother bought me a copy of “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” for Christmas, and I sped through the book during my brother’s baseball games. I was focused more on absorbing King’s intellect he gained from long years of being a successful writer than watching my brother slam a home run out of the park.
“On Writing” by no means informs you of everything in the writing world. Instead, King simplififies the writing process with a taste of his hilarious personal experiences, and even heartbreaking ones. The book is separated into five sections. The first section dives into his childhood, and King claims that this is not an autobiography, but sporadic whisps of memories peeking out from his mind. He recalls his development as a writer, how he met his wife, and other instances that led him to the spot he is at today. My favorite part of this section are the hilarious stories laced throughout.
The second section is about what writing is – simplified to the core. King offers the advice that to be a successful writer, you must read and write a lot.
The third section highlights the “writing toolbox.” There are parts dedicated to writing, grammar, and more. I learned a lot about the process of writing a novel in this section. It made me ask, “What is really inside my writing toolbox?”
The fourth section is my personal favorite, as it guides readers into King’s advice on symbolism, themes, and the other literary devices. With his own examples, King made the book a learning experience for starry-eyed dreamers like me. Getting taught by one of the most dominant authors in the business is something that will stick in my mind like gum.
The final section deals with a tragic car crash that King suffered from when he was struck by a van. His descriptions of the injuries were enough to make one cringe and squirm in their seats. I was shocked to learn that King plunged into a four-month-long writing block. Yet instead of being discouraged, he continued to persevere. This specific part put into context that the best of us struggle too, and that we are all human.
I also specifically liked how King provides examples in the book. He mentiones a few of his specific novels and novellas. In the end of the book, he also has reading lists of books that inspired him or that he simply enjoyed. Immediately, I searched for them all on Goodreads.
“On Writing” is by no means a writing bible, but it changed the way I view the craft. King allowed inspiration to bloom inside my mind.
I recommend this book to anybody interested in the art of writing, who one day dreams of having the story drilled in their head unfold for others to read.
As King says, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”