cj Sez: In his memoir, "On Writing," Stephen King shares some of his ideas on how to be a better writer.
It would be a rare day for any writer to agree with all of King’s
advice while disregarding that offered by, say Kurt Vonnegut or Anne Lamont.
Perhaps, though, there is one or two on the list that resonate and that you
might want to adopt or adapt into your own writing process.
1-STOP watching
television. Instead, read as much as possible.
2-PREPARE for more
failure and criticism than you think you can deal with.
3-DON’T waste time
trying to please people.
4-WRITE primarily for
yourself.
5-TACKLE the things
that are hardest to write.
6- WHEN writing,
disconnect from the rest of the world.
7-DON’T be
pretentious.
8-AVOID adverbs and
long paragraphs.
9-DON’T get overly
caught up in grammar.
10-MASTER the art of description.
11-DON’T give too much background information.
12-TELL stories about what people actually do.
13-TAKE risks; don’t play it safe.
14-REALIZE that you don’t need drugs to be a good writer.
15-DON’T try to steal someone else’s voice.
16-UNDERSTAND that writing is a form of telepathy.
17-TAKE your writing seriously.
18-WRITE every single day.
19-FINISH your first draft in three months.
20-WHEN you’re finished writing, take a long step back.
21- HAVE the guts to cut.
22-STAY married, be healthy, and live a good life.
(Read more about each piece of his advice here: “22 Lessons from Stephen King on How to be a Great
Writer” http://aol.it/1feJ1p8 )
cj Sez: There are a few of those that I absolutely agree
with (especially number 1), but some of them not so much. How about you? Which
would you adopt or adapt?
///
Monday, January 21, 2019, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day,
a national holiday honoring one of the most influential and iconic leaders of
the civil rights movement. It is celebrated each year on the third Monday of
January, near his birthday of January 15.
Reverend Doctor King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964
for his work in the civil rights movement to establish equal rights for
African-Americans.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, and Congress passed a
bill establishing the holiday in honor of Dr. King in 1983.
In his proclamation speech, President Ronald Reagan said: “We
rejoice because, in his short life, Dr. King, by his preaching, his example,
and his leadership helped to move us closer to the ideals on which America was
founded.”
///
That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping
on, and I’ll try to do the same.
cj
Another 5-star review for DEADLY STAR: "
Drop me a note to sign up for my quarterly newsletter: cjpetterson@gmail.com
Find my books on
Wow! This post is jammed with good information. A fan of King's writing lessons, I agree with all of the 22 in varyng degrees and often quote him in class. I especially like Master the Art of Description but tied with # 8 to avoid adverbs, it become tricky.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful book review, which I agree with wholeheartedly!