Stephen King has written more than 200 short stories and has published 54 novels some of which has been turned into movies. He has won innumerable awards. He has been named the “King of Horror.”
If you want to learn about writing, Steve has obviously something or two to teach you. Lucky for us, this writing deity has published a book about writing. He even had it recorded as an audiobook.
At the time of writing of this post, you can download the audiobook for free when you try audible for 30 days. But I know a lot of you are too lazy to read 288 pages or listen to 8 hours and 5 minutes of pure Stephen King goodness.
That’s why I summarized the content here for you. And it’s not out of the goodness of my heart either. I want you to upvote this post. And the only proper way I know to do that is by providing value. So here goes.
Read a Lot, Write a Lot
You want to be a writer? There are two things you have to do. 1) Read a lot. 2) Write a lot. No ifs. No buts. Just read and write a lot. It’s foolproof. You’ll get better and better at writing eventually.
The 3 Parts of a Story
There are three parts to a good story. 1) Narration – this is the voice of the storyteller and this is what moves the story from one point to another. 2) Description – it makes the story real for the reader as it describes familiar sensory details. 3) Dialogue – this brings the characters to life as you can distinguish them by the way they talk.
The Plot Comes First
The situation comes first. It’s more interesting than the characters. The characters are secondary. Compelling stories often tell us how characters would react to certain situations.
Don’t love your characters too much that you can’t allow them to experience conflict. Let them climb a tree and then throw stones at them and see what happens next.
Take it One Word at a Time
It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing an 9-book epic or a 1500-word short story. You have to work at it one word at a time. There are now shortcuts. So, enjoy the process.
Ask the Right Questions
The most compelling stories are a result of asking the right what-if questions. To fire up your imagination, here some 75 what-if questions:
http://www.litbridge.com/2012/11/13/what-if-creative-writing-prompts/
It’s About How People React to Events
To make your story relatable, the events must be seen through the eyes of someone your readers can relate to. So, while the plot comes first, telling the story through the right point of view will make your story more relatable.
Don’t Use Passive Verbs
Passive verbs should not be used. Yeah, that sentence you just read is passive.
Notice how the heading is more easily understood? It’s because it's in the active form. In the passive form, the subject of the sentence is just letting things happen to him. He is passive. We are not passive.
Avoid Adverbs
Stephen King hates adverbs.
“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” – Stephen King
Remember, show don’t tell. Relying on adverbs is a disguised form of telling and not showing. However, it’s worthy noting the Amazon bestseller list is full of fiction riddled with adverbs. So, it’s up to you to decide whether you’d rather use adverbs or not. It's only Stephen King telling you not to do it anyway.
Don’t Use Big Words When a More Familiar One Will Suffice
It’s tempting to showcase your vocabulary. However, as a writer, your ultimate goal should be to express and not to impress.
Writers Write
Oh you’re a writer who’s PLANNING to write his first novel. Sorry. You, my friend, are not a writer. You’re a dreamer. If you want to be a writer, then write. Don’t talk about wanting to write. Just freaking do it.
Don’t Write for Everyone
You have to have a specific person in mind when writing. Steve writes for Tabitha, his wife. Ultimately, we are all Tabitha. So, don’t write something you think everybody will love. Instead, write something that you think a specific person will love. Chances are there are millions of people out there who are just like that specific person you’re writing for.
Hey, it worked for Stephen King!
Write What You Love
Writing is a thankless, solitary job. But if you write something you really, truly love, it will be a reward in and of itself. And if you’re enjoying what you’re doing, you can do it forever.
Personally, I love writing. It’s not work for me – as long as I’m honestly interested in what I’m writing about.
This is why I think Steemit is simply awesome. It lets me do what I love and get paid regardless of audience reception. That a few people like what I spew out is just a bonus.
More Resources
http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Writing:_A_Memoir_of_the_Craft
https://mashable.com/2018/02/23/stephen-king-best-writing-quotes/
http://biblioteka.teatr-obraz.ru/files/file/English_cinema/Stephen_King_On_Writing.pdf
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@pleasestop
Cool thing: the passive verbs.
Never thougth about that.
D.
I have yet to read this book, it's been on my TR list for far too long. I love Stephen King's short stories, though I never could bring myself to finish one of his novels. thank you for the insightful summary! 😊
Hi Laylaney. Nice to see you here. Welcome to Steemit!
Thank you for the Welcome, digitaldreamer, it's nice to be here. :)
As a published author, I would amen all of Mr. King's guidelines that you featured here. Some of these precepts come straight out of the good old classic Strunk & White Elements of Style. I cut my "writing teeth" on this age-old, simple text. It served me well through the years! (Years before I'd even heard the name Stephen King.) :^)
Hey Norma Jean. The Elements of Style is foundational and is required reading for all who want to write well.
So agree!
Few people know that the "White" of the duo is actually E.B. White, author of the beloved Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little among others.
Just a bit of trivia. (smile)
Haaaa that was refreshing. Now I'm off to write something..
This is a beautiful post. I've always loved writing and as a kid I wrote so many books although they aren't award winning....lol but I got better with each try and this platform has given me an opportunity to showcase my skill. It's a pity I don't read much again and it is affecting my description as I sometimes lack words to use.
I will have to get back to reading a lot of books again. Nora Roberts, here I come.
Waow i didn't know all this. I surely will use all these observations in my next write up
This post has received a 27.25% upvote from @aksdwi thanks to: @digitaldreamer.
Everything requires time and the right approach, everything is in our hands, so we must be patient, appropriate literature, positive emotions and begin to work, so we can definitely become a modern writer, whose books will be in demand by society.
Great post!
Thanks for tasting the eden!
This post has received a 15.84 % upvote from @boomerang.
give me some book review.
i really envy this guy. he is what we call an exceptiinal talent. as a writer i dream of his talent.
I totally get you!
Im a musician and i dream the talent of Beyoncé.
D.