Because everyone loves a good story
On Writing, Part 3: Good Habits
Good habits.
The Hermione Grangers out there just got excited at the prospect of more good habits, and the Ron Weasleys just slouched in their seats and heaved an exasperated sigh. No matter which of these reactions you tend toward, there’s something for you to try in this post. Read on to see some of King’s most beneficial habits.
TWO FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS
Master the Basics
King spends the first half of his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, relating his own history and describing the contents of a writer’s toolbox. Now as he approaches the “heart of [the] book,” he wants to make two things perfectly clear. The first fundamental truth, he says, is that “good writing consists of mastering the fundamentals (vocabulary, grammar, the elements of style) and then filling the third level of your toolbox with the right instruments” (142).
What kinds of instruments? You know, techniques to makes your writing more interesting—things like narration, description, and dialogue. There are more, of course (because not all writing is fiction), but these are three biggies. We’ll look at King’s explanation of these instruments in later weeks, so hang in there.
There Is Hope
King’s second fundamental truth is that “it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one” (142). Notice that he doesn’t say bad writers can be good or that good writers can be great. He’s not guaranteeing miracles here. But many, many published writers are in the category of competent-writers-turned-good. In fact, I think plenty have hovered on the cusp of “competent” without ever breaking through to “good” at all. So why can’t you be among the published? In King’s opinion, you (probably) can.
But notice the caveats: it takes “lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help.” Do you have what it takes? Put your hand down, Hermione. It was rhetorical. Sit up, Ron. You’ll do fine. Let’s look at King’s suggestions to see if we can implement a few for the good of our writing.
GOOD HABITS
Read a Lot
“If you want to be a writer,” King says, “you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut” (145). If you’re interested in this blog, my guess is that you already enjoy reading. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you read a lot. I used to. When I was a naughty youngster, I’d even get grounded from reading since it was my greatest joy. (Yes, I was Hermione.) But now I don’t read nearly as much as I should.
My usual excuses are that I don’t have time and that I don’t feel like it. But King doesn’t pull any punches. “Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that” (147). Well, there you go. Even when I’m busy, I can still listen to audiobooks instead of the radio, read a book instead of surfing my phone, and squeeze in a chapter before bed instead of watching a Seinfeld rerun. Even a little time can add up.
Speaking of which, King is vehement about the detrimental effects of TV and movies. It rots our brains, wastes our time, and blunts our creativity. But here’s King’s guarantee: “Once weaned from the ephemeral craving for TV, most people will find they enjoy the time they spend reading. I’d like to suggest that turning off that endlessly quacking box is apt to improve the quality of your life as well as the quality of your writing” (148). Ouch! But I completely agree.
Write a Lot
Write daily, and write plenty, says Stephen. The more you put it off, the more it will begin to feel like work, and that’s no fun. You don’t need a fancy office, either. Pick a quiet, inauspicious room with a closed door where you won’t be interrupted, even by your phone or computer. Just sit there and write.
Don’t waste time waiting for the muse—just get cracking. Write what you know if it’s interesting. Write what you imagine if you prefer. Basically, write about “anything at all…as long as you tell the truth” (158). Just keep writing.
CONCLUSION
Well, if you were looking for good habits to incorporate, King gave you plenty to choose from. Don’t get overwhelmed or discouraged, though. Let’s pick one and try it out for a week. Not sure where to start? Try trading one show for a few chapters of a good book. Grab some snacks, and get comfy. Who knows? It might just become a habit.
On Writing, Part 2B: The Writer’s Tools
No matter what or to whom you are writing, clear vocabulary and correct grammar are essential. That’s why they’re on the top shelf of the writer’s toolbox. But even a careful elementary student could accomplish that much. What other tools should a good writer wield?
SECOND SHELF: Elements of Style
Paragraphs
It may seem strange to consider the paragraph as a writing tool, but it really is. “Paragraphs are almost as important for how they look as for what they say; they are maps of intent” (130). Think about perusing a new book. You can pretty much guess if it’s going to be an easy read or a difficult journey based on how packed the pages look, right? Lots of paragraph breaks and dialogue give the page an airy feel like a well-ventilated sitting room with a nice cross breeze. But a paragraph that lasts for two or three pages is like sitting down to a well-done eye of round with naught save a butter knife and some dentures.
Good luck.
That’s not to say long paragraphs are off limits. Just consider your purpose. If you’re writing formal stuff like essays, it’s important to follow a predictable structure (topic sentence, support sentences, conclusion). But if you’re writing fiction, there’s a lot more wiggle room. “When composing [fiction] it’s best not to think too much about where paragraphs begin and end; the trick is to let nature take its course. If you don’t like it later on, fix it then” (132).
Fragments
If you think this section will be an indictment on sentence fragments, think again. There are situations, especially in fiction, where a fragment can “work beautifully to streamline narration, create clear images, and create tension as well as to vary the prose-line” (133). No need to get carried away and use them all the time, but an occasional fragment can really spice things up. Honest.
And if that unorthodox advice rubs you the wrong way, consider King’s next assertion: “Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn’t grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story…to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all” (134).
Wait, what? Writers are allowed to fudge on grammatical correctness? Isn’t that a violation of last time’s advice to pursue grammatical correctness with assiduous diligence? (Oops. And also to avoid inflated vocabulary.) No. Notice that he says the object or point of fiction isn’t to exemplify perfect grammar. A good author is allowed to break the rules as long as it’s intentional, beneficial, and earned. Accidental, confusing, and gratuitous mistakes are now and always shall be unacceptable. Amen and amen.
THIRD SHELF: Writing Fiction
Once you as a writer have achieved the habits of clear vocabulary, correct grammar, suitable paragraphs, and occasional fragments, pat yourself on the back. You’re way ahead of the curve. Now you can open the third shelf of the writer’s toolbox and begin writing fiction! Huzzah!
If, however, this is not your desire, that’s fine. Just remember that many writers never set out to become published authors; they started by telling stories to their children (Watership Down) or writing books on a dare (Green Eggs and Ham and Frankenstein) or filling in the gaps in modern literature (The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia). I’m just saying you may not plan to open the third shelf any time soon, but don’t throw away the key.
Just remember that it takes commitment to write a whole book, even a short one. And that’s only the first step—publication may take even longer than the writing process. (More on that in later weeks.) But when an author does his or her best, sometimes the magic happens, and the book comes alive for the readers. That’s why even hefty tomes like Tolkien’s trilogy still gets countless reads today. You and I may never achieve that status, but then again we may.
Isn’t it worth a try?
Source:
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, 2000.
Hot Off the Press: The Edge of Everywhen
I’m in the process of trying to write a book right now. Know what the hard part is? Well, most of it, really. It’s fun and hard. But the really hard part is when someone says, “So what’s the book about?”
You know, that’s a good question.
It’s not that I don’t have an answer; It’s that I have too much answer. At times I struggle to condense my thoughts. (Have you noticed? Thank you for politely shaking your head “no.”) That’s why book reviews can be tricky. You read a whole book, and then you’re supposed to tell what it’s about and what you thought of it within a matter of paragraphs. Sure, no problem! Then I’ll spin this pile of straw into gold by morning! But I always like a good challenge, so here are my thoughts on a brand new book: A.S. Mackey’s The Edge of Everywhen.
A few months ago, Mackey reached out to me on this blog. She asked if I’d be willing to read her upcoming book, to which I replied, “Why, certainly!” Do I seem like the sort of person who would turn down the chance to get a free book and read it before it hits the shelves? I think not. When I read the book, I was certainly glad I’d agreed. It was very well done, and I think kids of all ages will enjoy the writing, plot, and magic.
Yes, magic.
And the question you’re asking is, “So what’s the book about?” I knew you were going to ask that. The book’s description calls it a story that “bridges the chasm between faith-based and fantasy kid-lit genres.” Amazon classifies it with “Children’s Christian Mysteries and Detective Stories.” I’d label it “Imaginative Kids Lit with a Hint of Fantasy and Faith.”
See? Categorizing is tough.
But the story follows the woes, lessons, and triumphs of thirteen-year-old Piper and her younger brother, Phoenix. The children’s mother passes away, and their father is MIA on a work trip gone wrong, so they’re sent to live with a rich, estranged, and standoffish aunt. The setup of the plot is reminiscent of A Series of Unfortunate Events, even in the narrator’s direct addresses to the reader. For example: “What’s that you say? Books cannot speak? On the contrary, dear Reader. Quite the contrary. Books are one of the few things on this earth that truly speak.”
However, the book is narrated not by Lemony Snicket but by the book itself. Yes, the book is the narrator of the book. I admit this was hard for me to get into at the beginning, but once I made it through the first two chapters, I was glad I’d persevered. The rest flowed much more smoothly once I had my bearings.
The reader watches as Piper and Phoenix learn their way around their aunt’s mansion, make friends with the butler and cook, and—most importantly—discover a magical book in the library. The book calls to Phoenix, who is intuitive because of his autism. Then Piper reads it, and she’s stunned at its contents. The book works changes in the lives of everyone who reads it. In fact, the book is instrumental in turning their stay at Aunt Beryl’s from a misfortune to a blessing.
The Edge of Everywhen also mentions other children’s books: Harry Potter, The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Giver, and many others. The narrator-that-is-a-book references these works of literature by way of recommendation, which I think is pretty neat. Piper is a bookworm herself, so making mention of books every kid should read is a natural fit.
And, finally, the book is certainly Christian, but it doesn’t sucker punch you with a sermon to get the point across. By and large, the characters’ growth is believable. I think that’s important so that young readers don’t expect real change to finish happening overnight. We see progress by the end of the story, but there is still room to grow.
All in all, I think the book will make a lovely addition to any young reader’s bookshelf. If you’re in the market for a chapter book for the little ones in your life, head on over to Amazon, B&H Publishing, or Christianbooks.com and get yourself a copy! And when you do, don’t forget to leave a review. Good books deserve wide circulation.
And thank you, Allison Mackey, for doing the hard work of finishing your book. We’re better off for it.
On Writing, Part 2A: The Writer’s Tools
“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing,” says Stephen King in his book On Writing (127).
What kind of fear is he talking about? Fear that you’ll appear unintelligent if you don’t beef up your vocabulary. Fear that you’ll be misunderstood if you don’t use loads of adverbs, passive sentences, and hokey verbs of dialogue attribution (she insinuated insinuatingly). And fear that you just don’t have what it takes to write.
While King does admit that not everyone is born to be a writer, he also admits that decent writers can become good writers if they’re willing to put in the effort. The principles below apply to those who aspire to see their novels atop the best seller list, but they also apply to those who write emails, updates, and even texts. To that end, here are some tools that King proposes should fill every writer’s toolbox.
TOP SHELF: The Basics
Vocabulary
In the writer’s toolbox, “common tools go on top,” and the most basic of all is vocabulary. It’s fairly non-negotiable. But that doesn’t mean you should memorize the thesaurus so you can impress readers with your vice-like grasp of the English language. To the contrary, King suggests that faking a big vocabulary is a big mistake.
“One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed and the person who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed” (117). I couldn’t agree more, both with the advice and the analogy. (Who are these people who buy doggy dresses??)
So when in doubt, choose to word it simply. No one is fooled by fake-fancy writing anyway. King’s final vocabulary advice is worth memorizing: “Remember that the basic rule of vocabulary is use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful” (118). I couldn’t have said it better myself, Steve.
Grammar:
Another non-negotiable in the writer’s toolbox is good grammar. Why? Because “bad grammar produces bad sentences,” and bad sentences are confusing (120). We’ve all felt befuddlement (and some of us have felt scorn and outrage) when reading a poorly-written billboard. How, we wonder, did that message make it all the way into print without being edited? And what on earth were they trying to say? When it comes to correct grammar, King is unapologetic about its importance. If that makes you nervous, take heart. In his opinion, either you’ve picked up good grammar by hearing and reading good grammar, or else it’s too late for you and you probably shouldn’t pursue a career in writing. That’s pretty simple, right?
But even for those who have managed to pick up good grammar, there’s always room for fine tuning. I earned my degree in English Education with a minor in Creative Writing, so I’ve taken more nitty-gritty grammar courses than I care to remember. Sheesh, I’ve taken way more than I do remember. That’s why I—yea, verily, even I—have to check my punctuation and usage all the time. Fortunately, the interweb has plenty of great resources like the Purdue Online Writing Lab—OWL. I find their explanations clear and helpful. When in doubt, don’t be a dunce—look it up!
IN CONCLUSION
In pursuit of brevity, I’m choosing to close the writer’s toolbox until next time. The reminder to simplify our vocabularies and correctify our grammar is enough to keep us busy for the time being, right? I know it is for me. I feel like I should have looked up a couple of the words in this paragraph to make sure they were legit, but oh well. Maybe no one will notice. Until text time, keep writing gooder!
Past Watchful Dragons Meets Rabbit Room
I know I promised you the next installment in the On Writing series, so I hope you’ll forgive this brief interruption. Today I wanted to point your attention to the Rabbit Room blog once again, but this time it’s because they were kind enough to publish one of my articles. Yippie!
It took them a couple months to find a spot for my post, so the descriptions of a wintry wonderland may feel a bit unseasonable. (In Michigan, though, it was still relevant at the beginning of May. Yikes.) However, the article isn’t about snow; it’s about hope in brokenness and sorrow. That’s pretty relevant all 365 ¼ days of the year.
Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is the foundation of the article, but the gravity of that poem is balanced with hope from Douglas McKelvey’s “A Liturgy for Those Who Weep Without Knowing Why.” Sounds like a strange concoction, I know, but both pieces spoke to me, and I think they’ll speak to you as well.
Enough prelude. If you would do me the honor, head on over to the Rabbit Room blog and check out my article called “Wounded by Beauty: Robert Frost, Douglas McKelvey, and Hope in the Sorrow.” The title is a bit unwieldy, I grant you, but I hope the post is an encouragement.
On Writing, Part 1: King’s History
Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft begins not with the craft but with the memoir—a hundred pages of backstory by way of autobiography.
King has published some pretty spooky stories, which causes one to wonder what made his insides so scrambled. He indirectly answers that by relating a handful of vignettes from his childhood and adolescence. The stories aren’t all awful…but most of them are. King isn’t out for sympathy, though; as he relates the stark facts of childhood woes, he’s out for laughs and probably cringes. He got both from me.
Squeamish Readers, Beware!
For example, his earliest memory is of pain. At two years old he had managed to pick up a cinderblock and began to carry it across the garage floor. It wasn’t long before a wasp that resided in that piece of masonry flew out and stung his ear. “It was the worst pain I had ever suffered in my short life,” he says, “but it only held the top spot for a few seconds. When I dropped the cinderblock on one bare foot, mashing all five toes, I forgot all about the wasp” (19).
When he was in first grade, he got measles that turned to strep throat that turned to habitual ear infections. When his mother took him to the ear doctor, the man said, “Relax, Stevie, this won’t hurt.” The doctor then proceeded to lance Stevie’s eardrum with a huge needle. King remembers the pain being worse than the first month of recovery after later being hit by a van. He got this eardrum treatment three separate times.
And for misery rather than pain, his babysitter used to sit on his face, let rip a gigantic burst of flatulence, and yell, “Pow!” One time she fed four-year-old Stevie seven fried eggs for breakfast and then locked him in the closet to wallow in his vomit until his mother came home. Another time his brother convinced him to relieve himself in the woods, and he wiped his bottom with poison ivy. Imagine that recovery. …On second thought, don’t.
A Writer Is Born
It’s telling that the majority of his early memories are dismal rather than enjoyable. But King has some good memories, too, which is probably why he’s a published author rather than a convicted felon. For example, he fell in love with sci-fi, suspense, and scary movies as a boy, which whet his fetish for the macabre. He also discovered a love of reading during his convalescence from ear infections. Sure, he was reading comic books, but he enjoyed them enough to try some derivative stories of his own. And what’s more, he was pretty good.
He started by writing to impress his mother, and he progressed to helping with his brother’s family newspaper, selling a rehash of a scary movie he’d watched, contributing to his school newspaper, distributing a satirical version of said school newspaper (and getting busted for it), and working as a sports writer for the local paper. All through this process he submitted short stories to various magazines and collected an impressive stack of rejection letters.
Sweet Success
Finally, he describes his success with Carrie, his first novel. It progressed from idea to aborted project, finished draft, rejected manuscript, accepted manuscript, low-paying publication, and eventually to lucrative paperback. Tenacity prevailed. The gradual nature of his success is a glimmer of hope to aspiring writers as we grope our way through the darkness of pre-publication.
Before he made it big with Carrie, though, King met and married Tabitha, a clear-thinking writer who has been his strictest critic and biggest fan ever since. She cheered him on when he did well, encouraged him when floundered, and called an intervention when he nearly self-destructed from his drug and alcohol addiction. He spends many pages discussing his substance abuse and his regret over the years he wasted, but now he’s been sober since the late 1980’s, mostly due to his wife’s influence. His appreciation of Tabby is a frequent theme of his book, which was a lovely surprise to me.
While King tells plenty more stories in the book, I trust this was enough to sketch the outlines of his formation as a person and writer. But what about his actual writing advice? Fret not; that’s what we’ll dive into next time, beginning with the contents of a writer’s toolbox.
Source:
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, 2000.
Stephen King’s “On Writing”: An Introduction
Apparently Stephen King writes horror novels. I didn’t know that.
Think I’m being facetious? Think again. Until recently, I thought he was in the film business—some kind of scary movie director. You can imagine, therefore, my confusion when I kept hearing recommendations for his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Either he was a man of many talents or else he was out of his depth in penning writing tutorials. Regardless, it was mentioned enough times to make me look into it.
Scaredy Cat
The reason for my cluelessness is that I don’t enjoy being scared. I don’t watch scary movies, and I don’t read scary books. I’ve tried a few of each, and they were not my cup of tea—no sir, not at all. So that pretty much rules out Mr. King. But now I can boast that I’ve read one of his books: On Writing. To be honest, it’s likely to be the only one I’ll read. Sorry, Stephen. Nothing personal—it’s just that my brain doesn’t need any more fodder for freaking me out. Life provides plenty for me to ruminate on.
But if I’m only going to read one book by Stephen King, I’m glad it was this one. I understand why people recommend it so highly and so often. His writing style is simple, clear, and conversational. His stories are engaging. His humor is surprising, and his advice is solid. (Also, his language is crude, which I wasn’t expecting. That detracted from the experience for me, personally.) But overall, the book was well worth the read.
The Fun That’s to Come
Over the next few weeks I’d like to share with you a handful of gems I’ve mined from the book. You may not be writing a novel at the moment. You may not even be planning to write so much as a short story in the near future, and that’s all right. This series will still teach you how to improve everyday communication and how to pursue a task with diligence. But for those who are interested in writing in any capacity, you will definitely want to take note of these next few posts. You’ll learn:
- History: What made Stephen King the (disturbing) writer he is today
- Tools: The basics and extras that should fill every writer’s toolbox
- Enrichment: The importance of reading and writing…a lot
- Draft 1: Narration, description, and dialogue
- Draft 2: Symbolism, theme, and pace
- Tips: Characterization, back story, and research
- Fame and Fortune: How to get published and find an agent
Short and Sweet
In the spirit of King’s advice, I’m going to make a colossal effort to keep the posts short and sweet. …I’ll give you a minute to pick yourself up off the floor and recover from your shock. I know that brevity is not my forte—not by a long shot. But what kind of doofus would read a book about writing better and then fail to apply anything she learned, am-I-right? So here’s to turning over a new leaf, at least for this series.
And just to show you that I mean business, I’m going to wrap it up right this very minute. I hope you’re as excited about this new series as I am, and I can’t wait for you to tune in next time for the tale of woe, danger, and humor that is Stephen King’s childhood. Until then, stay safe, my friends!
Check out his biography here!
P.S.: My deepest apologies for putting a book title in quotation marks in the post’s heading. This blog platform won’t let me italicize it. I will lose sleep over this, but I hope you won’t. Bleh.
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