[EN World Book Club] On Writing by Stephen King (Discussion time!)
William Ronald
Explorer
As I just heard about this, I will try to get my hand on the book fast and read fast. (Fortunately, I am a speed reader.)
Mark
CreativeMountainGames.com
Welcome aboard, WRon!
I've just finished it up, myself, and will let it gel in my brain for a while until everyone else has finished. I'll probably dig back into it a few times as I think over various aspects of the advice and even the autobiographical information.
I've just finished it up, myself, and will let it gel in my brain for a while until everyone else has finished. I'll probably dig back into it a few times as I think over various aspects of the advice and even the autobiographical information.
Mark
CreativeMountainGames.com
So, what revelations about writing come from this book that you feel might be helpful to you?
If you are familiar with other books on writing, what makes this one different?
How is it as a autobiography?
Answer these if you like and add some more questions of your own, please.
If you are familiar with other books on writing, what makes this one different?
How is it as a autobiography?
Answer these if you like and add some more questions of your own, please.
Acid_crash
First Post
This book rocks...
As a comparison to other books on writing, Steven King himself says it in one of the three prologues that most of what is written in books about writing is bull**** (I guess I can really rephrase what he said, huh).
As an autobiography, he only touches on the aspects of his life that eventually helped shape who he became as far as his writing career goes. I must say, he has a good memory to remember being stung by a bee when two years old.
As a comparison to other books on writing, Steven King himself says it in one of the three prologues that most of what is written in books about writing is bull**** (I guess I can really rephrase what he said, huh).
As an autobiography, he only touches on the aspects of his life that eventually helped shape who he became as far as his writing career goes. I must say, he has a good memory to remember being stung by a bee when two years old.
nakia
First Post
I was really intrigued by his views on writing practice and talent: If you are a crappy writer, there may be no help for you. If you are an okay writer, then practice can make you into a pretty good one. But it takes more than practice to be a great writer -- you just have to have "it." (Whatever "it" is).
This, I think, was the most "radical" point in the book. His other bits of writing advice -- "Write a lot, read a lot" -- are pretty straightforward. Helpful, sure, but certainly things I had heard before.
This, I think, was the most "radical" point in the book. His other bits of writing advice -- "Write a lot, read a lot" -- are pretty straightforward. Helpful, sure, but certainly things I had heard before.
Berandor
lunatic
Here we go - unless the database kicks me out again 
The biography part of the book was very entertaining. It was a good decision to only cover certain "key events", I think, and to cover them without becoming too wistful.
I'm not too sure how embellished these events were, or how accurate, but even if everything was invented, I'd still like this part. King does know how to write entertainingly, at least. And I found his honesty concerning his addictions refreshing.
There was a slight hint that King was sort of miffed by his car accident, don't you think? I'm not sure, he could have written about it for the sixtieth time to make it clear...
The writing part, to me, was very helpful. What I didn't like so much was that he gave mostly fictional examples. Larryy Beinhardt's "How to write a mystery" gives real world examples. I like that not only because it gives me hints what to read and what to avoid, but also because I think these examples are far better than anything you can cook up, especially when you're trying to make up an example for "writing badly".
What I enjoyed was that he also covered the "other side of the coin", the "post-production" of writing. The parts about editing your own manuscript was something that I hadn't come upon very often (well, most books argued for editing, but not that extensively).
But the biggest reason why I liked the book was that it was indeed "on writing". It dealt with the actual process of writing, not only with using correct grammar, completing your vocabulary, and concocting believable characters - but do you sit down in the living room and type a little? Do you write when fancy strikes you? Or do you have to write in a more orderly fashion? The look into the actual process is what mostly made this book valuable to me.
Of course, he can talk about writing 5 hours every day, when he doesn't need to go shopping, commute 1 hour to work and 1 hour back each day, make the dishes, clean the apartment, iron the clothes... oh, and work for 8-9 hours
Anyway, I've got some questions of my own:
- Do you think his coverage of the accident was excessive?
- What do you think about giving more concrete examples from actual published books?
- Do you think he should have kept quiet about his addictions?
- How do you write? Do you need music, or silence? How much each day do you write? (This question, of course, is for those (aspiring) writers among us)
- Were there parts you disagreed with?
I haven't answered all of these myself, yet, but that might come later.
The biography part of the book was very entertaining. It was a good decision to only cover certain "key events", I think, and to cover them without becoming too wistful.
I'm not too sure how embellished these events were, or how accurate, but even if everything was invented, I'd still like this part. King does know how to write entertainingly, at least. And I found his honesty concerning his addictions refreshing.
There was a slight hint that King was sort of miffed by his car accident, don't you think? I'm not sure, he could have written about it for the sixtieth time to make it clear...
The writing part, to me, was very helpful. What I didn't like so much was that he gave mostly fictional examples. Larryy Beinhardt's "How to write a mystery" gives real world examples. I like that not only because it gives me hints what to read and what to avoid, but also because I think these examples are far better than anything you can cook up, especially when you're trying to make up an example for "writing badly".
What I enjoyed was that he also covered the "other side of the coin", the "post-production" of writing. The parts about editing your own manuscript was something that I hadn't come upon very often (well, most books argued for editing, but not that extensively).
But the biggest reason why I liked the book was that it was indeed "on writing". It dealt with the actual process of writing, not only with using correct grammar, completing your vocabulary, and concocting believable characters - but do you sit down in the living room and type a little? Do you write when fancy strikes you? Or do you have to write in a more orderly fashion? The look into the actual process is what mostly made this book valuable to me.
Of course, he can talk about writing 5 hours every day, when he doesn't need to go shopping, commute 1 hour to work and 1 hour back each day, make the dishes, clean the apartment, iron the clothes... oh, and work for 8-9 hours
Anyway, I've got some questions of my own:
- Do you think his coverage of the accident was excessive?
- What do you think about giving more concrete examples from actual published books?
- Do you think he should have kept quiet about his addictions?
- How do you write? Do you need music, or silence? How much each day do you write? (This question, of course, is for those (aspiring) writers among us)
- Were there parts you disagreed with?
I haven't answered all of these myself, yet, but that might come later.
