The first book I ever finished, was not a Jacqueline Wilson book. My first was a Stephen King classic. Misery, to be exact. Should I have read Misery at such a young age? Probably not but hey, no one found out so I got away with it.

Then one summer, spent being a boring adult, my cinnamon bun glazed fingers found a book on a bench. It was Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I started reading and sure enough was late to work. I learnt a heap.
So, here are just five things I learnt from Stephen King’s On Writing.
1 Don’t wait for the muse
My God, how I wish I read this earlier on in life. Years wasted to “I just don’t feel like, like the inspiration, you know?” Stupid questions, that end with the upward inflection of an idiot.
As a kid, I would write, come rain or shine, and a lot of my stories were worthy of being toilet paper. I saw that then and it never stood in my way. I would always get the stories out and much to my surprise, my brother would enjoy them. Your job is to write, and be consistent with it.
2 Write what you know
If you’re not an astrophysicist and you squish in a whole steaming pile of wiki-inspired research about astrophysics because you think it’ll make the story credible, then my friend, you’ll be left with a steaming pile of (ahem) crap.
I can’t remember the name of the book but I remember during university I read a steaming pile of crap about an accountant, that tries to kill his unfaithful wife and I’m pretty sure I learnt more about accountancy, than the story. So steer clear of the theatrics, a good story doesn’t need to be embellished with shiny excrement. Write. What. You. Know.
3 Read
“I’m a writer, working on a novel but I don’t really read, I have no time to read”.
Pardon? To me, hearing you say that, is like hearing, “I’m an astronaut but I have no time, or business, riding a rocket”.
Reading gives you an indispensable arsenal of tools to write. You’ll learn what good and bad dialogue looks like, how to pace your work and develop your own style. It’ll look like a mosaic of all those you admire and that’s how writers become full fledged writers. So, read.
4 Stories pretty much make themselves
King has said that he rarely plots and for some reason, authors everywhere gasped. Plot isn’t everything, it’s the situation that creates the story. Great stories usually pop into your head, much like a very big chunk of snow and it starts rolling down a hill, gathering characters and all their luggage, gathering more snow, before it becomes this thing you’re unsure how to stop. That’s how good mysteries are born, when the author can’t even predict the end.

When I write, I rarely know how it’s going to end and when I’ve tried to force a whole series of events on paper, aka plot, it turns into that grey slush you bring indoors. Not everyone works like this but for me, it works.
5 Write with the door closed
The story looks like gold, you want to tell everyone about it and you’ve just written the first chapter. What happens? You tell them and become debilitated from the growing pressure of delivering this gold. Instead of doing this, how about just doing your job: write the damn thing. You want your golden snowball to pick up speed and be everything you envisioned, well, write with the door closed. Your only job right now is to get it down.
Fancy reading the book yourself?
Click here: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Have you read this or do you have anything else to add?
Let me know snowballs.
Nahla.
Love this and will repost! Sometimes I don’t even read my own writings! One time I told someone on here I just let my poems write themselves. They said they didn’t know what that means. 😀
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So glad you enjoyed this! Took forever to upload because WordPress was being hormonal.
Exactly, better to not force it! 🙂
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Hahah
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Random comment: When I say “Jay Pines”, I instinctively say it in Southern accent, like I’m on a stand off gun fight. End of random comment.
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Hahaha. And that’s not even my real name. But they have guns all over here, not just the South
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I’m sure you’re saying it in the accent now… you’re so very welcome.
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Reblogged this on Scribbled to Paper.
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Great advice!
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So glad you think so 🙂 Stephen King has never steered me wrong yet!
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Reblogged this on Elfin Dragon's (LisaG) Blog and commented:
A wonderful reminder of what makes us good writers
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Coincidentally currently I am reading Misery. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this post.
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It’s a book that sticks to your ribs 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this post!
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Totally.
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I love Misery.
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A book you can always go back to 🙂
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And a movie.
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You just enticed me to read that book!
Detailed blog, I appreciate it.
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My book is on its last legs because I flip through it so much! Let me know how you find it!
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It’s one of the best books on writing. I loved this quote from the book:
“A little talent is a good thing to have if you want to be a writer. But the only real requirement is the ability to remember every scar.”
Reading it was a great insight into the wonderful writing process of Stephen King. Your post sums it up pretty well 🙂
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I’m glad you enjoyed this post 🙂 I always revisit this book!
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Me too 🙂
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