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In Stephen King’s book, On Writing, he expands on the subject of what writing is about in his final chapter: ‘Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.’ He explains quite simply that writing makes his life a brighter and more pleasant place. Writing, for a writer, is about getting happy.
Getting up, getting well and getting over
Stephen King was seriously injured in 1999 when he was knocked over by a van while walking on a country road. It took six operations to save his life and repair the damage to his body. He started writing his book On Writing as soon as he was able to sit up.
In it he explains how he learnt to write and how one can learn to write better. But, the rest of it, as he says, ‘is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.’
Tools for the toolbox: vocabulary and grammar
King says that good writing is about letting go of fear and affectation. It’s also about making the right choices when it comes to choosing the tools you work with.
The tool that King puts at the top of the toolbox is vocabulary ‑ but he doesn’t seem to believe that you should go to any huge effort to improve it when you’re starting out. Your vocabulary will naturally improve with time.
What King warns against is dressing up your vocabulary. Using long, premeditated words instead of short, natural words is like ‘dressing up a household pet in evening clothes’.
On grammar, King says it is the ‘pole you grab to get your thoughts up on their feet and walking.’ He says that all you need to know about grammar is summarised on the front and back endpapers of Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition.
Reading and writing
As important as vocabulary, grammar, form and style are, King is quick to remind us that writing is as much about reading as it is about writing. Reading ought to be seen as the creative centre of a writer’s life.
King says that reading is imperative as it gives a sense of what can be done and acts as a yardstick to measure oneself against. He adds that reading creates an ease and intimacy with the process of writing: a new writer can learn much about ‘truth telling’, narration, style, plot and character development by reading good writing. He adds that bad writing teaches one what not to do.
Moving onto magic
King believes that writing is like telepathy and that one should write what one likes.
He ends with these inspiring words: ‘Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.’
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