I know what you’re thinking.
“Why the hell should I care how Stephen King writes? Doesn’t he write horror books?”
Let me explain.
We’re here because Stephen King is one of the best writers ever. And he wrote this book because he desperately wants to teach us.
He’s got the writing process down to a science. And you and I are here to take some notes.
Let’s start with the part where you don’t write.
You have to give your writing time to simmer. That means stepping away.
It’s tempting to jump right into editing after you finish a banger piece.
Don’t.
Stephen King takes somewhere between months and YEARS between drafts.
Why take so long? Just a day should do, right?
Wrong.
If the first draft is for writing the trees, the second draft is for stepping back and looking at the forest.
You see, your half-conscious mind is smarter than you think.
It’s why we love shower thoughts. Your mind is still mulling over things while you’re making dinner. And then bam! In the shower, you’ve figured out that huge problem at work.
Use that to your advantage. The magic happens in the shower. Or on the walk.
So, it’s easy. When you finish your first draft, take a long break. Do something completely different.
Your goal is simple. You shouldn’t recognize the writing when you come back for a second pass. Like uncovering an alien artifact that you sort of remember.
Keep your writing short and simple. This is harder than it sounds.
When you were in middle school, you learned that all the smart kids use big words.
I’m here to tell you that’s bullshit.
No one wants to read big words. Not one person wants to get lost in confusing sentences that never end.
Well, maybe one person does. But don’t worry; you’re not writing for them.
The best way to write is to keep it simple.
That means short words and short sentences.
But not too short. Vary the sentence length a little. Like this. You see what I’m doing? How I’m writing some short sentences and some long ones? It creates a nice flow.
But when it’s like this. It gets repetitive. Hard to read. Like pulling teeth.
Notice something else I’ve been doing? I avoid long paragraphs at all costs.
You ever open a book and just know it’s going to be tough to read? One glance told you everything. One page with one paragraph? Please. What a snoozer.
Keep paragraphs short and digestible. More people will read your words if you do. The paragraphs shouldn’t scare them away.
Finally (and this is a big one) don’t think up new, big words. Always use the first word that comes to mind. If you had to think hard to come up with a different word, what do you think the reader is going to do?
Keep writing simple. Keep your sentences short. And keep your paragraphs crisp.
If you want to get good at writing, you’ll have to read a lot and write a lot.
It’s a tough pill to swallow.
Reading makes you a better writer.
And if you have time to write, you have time to read.
You need to learn how to recognize great writing. And the best way to do that is to read writing to find out what’s great.
Okay, so it’s settled then. You’re going to read every day.
I suppose now is a good time to say you’ll have to write a lot, too.
King has a simple guideline.
Do 2000 words a day.
If you can’t do that, do 1000 words a day.
Don’t worry. It doesn’t all have to be good. You’ll get better at that.
Even if it sucks, keep writing. Any writing is better than no writing.
How do I make it easier to write every day?
Easy. Write what you know. But make “write what you know” apply to everything you do.
That makes it easier for you to write at the start. Because you’re just writing off the top of your head.
Once you get that down, add another layer. Write what you want to read. That’s when shit gets good.
This also means you should read the publications that write what you want to write. Because, again, you’ll recognize great writing. You’ll also get great ideas.
Oh, another thing about writing. Don’t make excuses.
You can’t expect a perfect environment to write in every time. You won’t always get your favorite writing nook.
Embrace the dogs barking, the kids whining, and the cars honking. The writing looks a little better when there’s a little grit to it. Plus, it’ll help with your excuses. Because you shouldn’t have any if you want to get good at this.
So, that’s it.
Write (and read) a lot. Keep it simple. And when you’re done, let it simmer for a while.
Thanks, Stephen.
While you’re here, I took a few phrases that Stephen likes, and put them in my swipe file. See if you can spot them.
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