Writing Techniques In Stephen King's On Writing

As we go thru life we often wonder if we are doing the right things. Stephan King began his journey the same way. He gives credit to the fact that his family didn’t have a TV until later in his life, he read and wrote a lot. It wasn’t until the late 50’s when he submitted a story he wrote to a magazine publication and was rejected. This was his first conflict he had to overcome when it came to writing.

This book, “discusses writing through the author’s personal stories, experiences and anecdotes, all told with good grace and humor. You don’t just learn about writing techniques in On Writing – you also get to learn a great deal about Stephen King, his family, the struggles he has endured, both pre-fame and post-fame, and what makes him tick

The piece of advice that stood out to me the most is, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” (King, pg. 145) To me this could not have been better explained. In order to be great at something you must first enjoy what you are doing and second you must practice your art.

If you don’t like to read or write this can be challenging. To overcome this, Stephen King suggests that we should start by writing about some personal knowledge related to our life. He also suggests the use of real characters and that the story should be people driven verses event driven. He also talks about an interesting notion that we all know we should practice but don’t. When we began to write you must create a humble workspace and close the door from the world.

I find it interesting that he mentions this in this book because it’s not just the “mechanics” of writing that are important, but your surroundings as well. This has such an impact in you work. “You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lesson of all are the ones you teach yourself. These lessons almost always occur with the study door closed.” (King, pg.