Random Thoughts

On Writing

For years, I've heard Stephen King's book "On Writing" touted as the bible of us writerly types. Given I had some time (I'm on vacation in between home improvement projects), I decided it was time I read it.





Now, let me say that I've always held Mr King in the highest regard as a writer. He gets to you, gets under your skin, and he does it without seeming to even try. His writing is impeccable. I've only managed to read a few of his books for the simple reason that my imagination won't let go of the images he draws and I hate not sleeping for weeks on end. He's that good.





The book is not a how-to for dummies. One of the first things he says is that there are bad writers. Lots of them. And you can't make a good writer out of a bad one. The craft can be taught, vocabulary broadened, grammar updated, punctuation rules memorized. The art, however, is an inborn instinct, a gift of knowing how to tell a story much as a true artist knows what colors to use and I, on the other hand, make blobs and squiggly lines.





I finished the book in two days (it's not particularly large or convoluted) and I have to say I feel a sense of accomplishment. Not only did the suggestions he makes make sense to me, I already have most them ingrained in my psyche. Will I ever write as well as King? Probably not. Does that make me sad? Not really. One of the things he emphasized is to do it for the joy of it. Not for money. Not for prestige. Definitely not for the adoration of millions of fans. Do it because you love it.





I do. I love writing. I love telling stories and losing myself in them. I'm satisfied with what I read, learned a few things along the way. If you're a new writer or someone who just happens to be thinking about writing, I would list this as a must read. He doesn't pull punches. Doesn't glamorize anything. He gives it straight and that's invaluable.