On Writing

[SpicyPepper]

I was wondering if anyone has read Stephan King's, On Writing and if they liked it.

Personally I loved it and I think a lot of writers out there (*ahem*, here) could benefit from his advice. Essentially: keep it simple, stupid. Be wary of adverbs as they are the devil (e.g. decidedly, nonchalantly, angrily etc.)

Not that I think everyone should write like Stephan King, but I think a lot of people (myself included!) could benefit from removing a lot of unnecessary vocabulary from our stories.

Also, the best advice in the whole book (which is also filled with HILARIOUS stories, by the way) is

SECOND DRAFT = FIRST DRAFT - %10

We might not all be aspiring writers, some of us may just write to get our rocks off, but I still think that everyone should consider this formula before submitting a story.

Opinions on this, anyone?

 

[starrkers]

I've got it. I read it. I like the way his advice is couched in conversational tones rather than professorial cant.

Seeing as nothing I write has so far gone beyond a first draft (and, oh shit, it shows!) I can't comment on how much would survive to a second.

 

[SpicyPepper]

Didn't you just LOVE the part about his babysitter Eula Beula! BWAHAHAHA! I laughed so hard I almost wet myself!

 

[sr71plt]

"decidedly, nonchalantly, angrily" are adverbs, not adjectives.

The King book is very popular. And it's as good a place to start--and then to toss out when you know what "rules" are best to break to actually get to professional-level writing.

 

[Guest]

I was wondering if anyone has read Stephan King's, On Writing and if they liked it.

Personally I loved it and I think a lot of writers out there (*ahem*, here) could benefit from his advice. Essentially: keep it simple, stupid. Be wary of adverbs as they are the devil (e.g. decidedly, nonchalantly, angrily etc.)

Not that I think everyone should write like Stephan King, but I think a lot of people (myself included!) could benefit from removing a lot of unnecessary vocabulary from our stories.

Also, the best advice in the whole book (which is also filled with HILARIOUS stories, by the way) is

SECOND DRAFT = FIRST DRAFT - %10

We might not all be aspiring writers, some of us may just write to get our rocks off, but I still think that everyone should consider this formula before submitting a story.

Opinions on this, anyone?

I like it. Fun read.

I like his down-to-earth tone.

Take what you need and toss the rest. He isn't arrogant with his advice.

 

[john-the-author]

I was wondering if anyone has read Stephan King's, On Writing and if they liked it.

I did, very much. It was a bit too autobiographical and, while I enjoyed reading it greatly and I do like Stephen King, I felt he was being just a WEE bit self-indulgent. But WTF? I'd still recommend it to fiction writers.

I loved an essay he wrote about 20 years ago for a Writer's Annual entitled "Everything You Need to Know About Writing in 10 Minutes or Less." It was, too.

I'm trying to think about my 2nd drafts. They are a little shorter, but they're also a lot smoother. I tend to have subordinate clauses in my writing, something my favorite co-author pointed out is what makes my writing 'mine.' More than one of my publishers has told me they can hear my voice reading to them when they're reading my text. (This apparently doesn't happen a lot.)

I also recommend Wm. Zinsser's "On Writing Well."

 

[sr71plt]

II also recommend Wm. Zinsser's "On Writing Well."

The Zinsser book may be the more useful of the two. I've started King's book a couple of times, but never gotten to the end of it. But the Zinsser book is on the shelf at my computer station (along with Theodore Bernstein's The Careful Writer).

 

[rgraham666]

I avoid 'how-to's' like the plague.

In my opinion 'how-to' books are about the 'proper way to do things'. And the second people bring propriety into something, you're fucked.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

No, I haven't read it. I'm not a Steven King fan. I have read Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing. I really enjoyed it. But, when I read a book lke that, it's because I want to see their perspective on writing. I don't want to try to copy it.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I read the Stephen King book. It's like 99% of the how-to-write books and includes none of the tricks that make his writing special. But almost no writer has the self awareness to illustrate what makes her writing better and different.

 

[jomar]

I read it and liked it. I suspect JBJ is right - these authors have honed their skills over the years, found their voice, and it becomes instinct. They have a difficult time really dissecting what/how they do it beyond a certain point. I find it that way in my career, at least.

And I'm reading a series of books right now (Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series) and he uses a sprinkling of adverbs that aren't annoying at all. The only reason I notice them is because of the 'rule.'

 

[manyeyedhydra]

I avoid 'how-to's' like the plague.

In my opinion 'how-to' books are about the 'proper way to do things'. And the second people bring propriety into something, you're fucked.

I'm the same.

I probably wouldn't have read it had somebody not given it to me just before a long flight

It's entertaining and details some of the obvious mistakes to avoid (which I probably still make anyway).

I think people get a little too hung up on the mechanics and style of writing and forget there needs to be a good story as well. Rowling gets bashed repeatedly over her technical shortcomings, but she sold millions on the strength of writing a story people - in particular boys, who weren't really reading anything at the time - wanted to read.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

JOMAR

I recently read a book by Monica Wood who illustrates how NO-NOs can improve your writing, and she's right! I've read Pulitzer winning authors who violate lotsa rules.

But newbies need to learn the tried & true basics first, and that's what most writing books address.

I like James Michener. Michener didnt write much about writing, per se, but some excellent writing advice leaked from his writing anyway; you have to be alert for it. Like, most of his scenes include sensory description for all of the senses: smell, taste, vision, hearing, touch, and feelings. Michener said he struggled arranging the right words to make powerful scenes that draw the reader into the action.

 

[jomar]

JOMAR

I recently read a book by Monica Wood who illustrates how NO-NOs can improve your writing, and she's right! I've read Pulitzer winning authors who violate lotsa rules.

But newbies need to learn the tried & true basics first, and that's what most writing books address.

I like James Michener. Michener didnt write much about writing, per se, but some excellent writing advice leaked from his writing anyway; you have to be alert for it. Like, most of his scenes include sensory description for all of the senses: smell, taste, vision, hearing, touch, and feelings. Michener said he struggled arranging the right words to make powerful scenes that draw the reader into the action.

Yes, like in art. You have to have the fundamentals down before you can know how/when to break them. Though there are naturals, or savants, I suppose.

I like Michener, and read quite a few of his books. But I finally had to take a break. I guess my mood changed or something and I couldn't stand 10 pages on pouring a cup of coffee.

 

[Guest]

Yes, like in art. You have to have the fundamentals down before you can know how/when to break them. Though there are naturals, or savants, I suppose.

I like Michener, and read quite a few of his books. But I finally had to take a break. I guess my mood changed or something and I couldn't stand 10 pages on pouring a cup of coffee.

Indeed.

Dozens and dozens of pages go by without anything happening at all.

I think the last Michener I read with serious attention was Hawaii.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I especially liked what he said about creating a story, how it's like unearthing a fossil. You start with a bit of bone sticking out of the earth, not sure what it is, and you start scraping away at it, uncovering the story as you work. You don't create it as much as you discover it. At the end you say, "Oh look! It's a murder mystery and the butler did it!" like you knew it all along.

Lately I'm struggling with two "rules": One that says: write your heart out, the other, from Dr. Johnson, that says, "whenever you write a particular passage that seems especially fine to you, take out your blue pencil and strike it out."

 

[john-the-author]

The Zinsser book may be the more useful of the two. I've started King's book a couple of times, but never gotten to the end of it. But the Zinsser book is on the shelf at my computer station (along with Theodore Bernstein's The Careful Writer).

You know, I don't recall hearing about "The Careful Writer." I'll have to go look at that. Thanks!

(Somewhere in the storage pod with my other 62 boxes of books is "The Deluxe Transitive Vampire," which I got years ago as a TY gift for addressing some group or other. I recommend that one to everyone just for the sheer joy of it.)

 

[john-the-author]

I especially liked what he said about creating a story, how it's like unearthing a fossil. You start with a bit of bone sticking out of the earth, not sure what it is, and you start scraping away at it, uncovering the story as you work. You don't create it as much as you discover it. At the end you say, "Oh look! It's a murder mystery and the butler did it!" like you knew it all along.

Lately I'm struggling with two "rules": One that says: write your heart out, the other, from Dr. Johnson, that says, "whenever you write a particular passage that seems especially fine to you, take out your blue pencil and strike it out."

The Dr. Johnson quote I am always quoting in speeches is "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

 

[Guest]

I especially liked what he said about creating a story, how it's like unearthing a fossil. You start with a bit of bone sticking out of the earth, not sure what it is, and you start scraping away at it, uncovering the story as you work. You don't create it as much as you discover it. At the end you say, "Oh look! It's a murder mystery and the butler did it!" like you knew it all along.

Lately I'm struggling with two "rules": One that says: write your heart out, the other, from Dr. Johnson, that says, "whenever you write a particular passage that seems especially fine to you, take out your blue pencil and strike it out."

He also said:

"Many leave the labours of half their life to their executors and to chance, because they will not send them abroad unfinished, and are unable to finish them, having prescribed to themselves such a degree of exactness as human diligence can scarcely contain."

Leave the fine passages, zoot.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

JOMAR

Michener was obsessive with details. IBERIA is an excellent example of when his obsession 'worked.' But I know what you mean about the boredom factor.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

DOC

I suspect 99% of writing success is finding your market. Last night I read my girlfriend a short story by a famous writer, and she didnt get it or like it. Most critics agree the story is excellent, and I like it; but the GF was not impressed.

 

[sr71plt]

You know, I don't recall hearing about "The Careful Writer." I'll have to go look at that. Thanks!

(Somewhere in the storage pod with my other 62 boxes of books is "The Deluxe Transitive Vampire," which I got years ago as a TY gift for addressing some group or other. I recommend that one to everyone just for the sheer joy of it.)

Hmmm. I have Karen Elizabeth Gordon's The Transitive Vampire on my bookshelf, but I haven't heard of the deluxe edition. I read her with interest--and for the laugh value--but it isn't a reference book I really ever go back to.

The best basic book for the basic writer that I've found is the American Heritage Book of English Usage: A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. This isn't one of those that tells you how to write, but as others have noted here, if you don't have a good grasp of how to write in your own voice already, you're probably already lost as a writer--and having a successful writer tell you how she/he (thinks) he/she does it ain't likely to do the trick for you.

 

[john-the-author]

Hmmm. I have Karen Elizabeth Gordon's The Transitive Vampire on my bookshelf, but I haven't heard of the deluxe edition. I read her with interest--and for the laugh value--but it isn't a reference book I really ever go back to.

The best basic book for the basic writer that I've found is the American Heritage Book of English Usage: A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. This isn't one of those that tells you how to write, but as others have noted here, if you don't have a good grasp of how to write in your own voice already, you're probably already lost as a writer--and having a successful writer tell you how she/he (thinks) he/she does it ain't likely to do the trick for you.

I agree on not going back to the Transitive Vampire: it is funny and parts do stick and it's worth re-reading periodically for the fun of it, but it's not what I turn to for a reference. I know the Book of English Usage, but I don't think that I have a copy myself. I tend to live by the Chicago Manual of Style, though I haven't gotten the 15th edition yet, although it's not a complete grammar and some usage issues aren't discussed except as a matter of setting rules and guidelines.

 

[sr71plt]

I agree on not going back to the Transitive Vampire: it is funny and parts do stick and it's worth re-reading periodically for the fun of it, but it's not what I turn to for a reference. I know the Book of English Usage, but I don't think that I have a copy myself. I tend to live by the Chicago Manual of Style, though I haven't gotten the 15th edition yet, although it's not a complete grammar and some usage issues aren't discussed except as a matter of setting rules and guidelines.

The Chicago Manual of Style is descriptive in that it tells you much of the "what" that publishers have agreed on in terms of style. The Book of English Usage is prescriptive in that it helps lead you to the "why" of how to render terms and of grammar. Fortunately, the Book of English Usage pretty much follows the "what" found in the CMA.

 

[SpicyPepper]

I just liked the Stephen King one because his stories are funny and his "tool box" was a great analogy. His is more advice than "how-to".
I wasn't looking for a "how-to-write", I read it because I was in a huge Stephen King phase.
I actually don't have any reference books and usually try to avoid "how-to's" because I find myself trying too hard to write by other people's rules.
I have my style and so far I'm happy with it...

But I like the list you gave of references, I might pick one up...