On Writing

It’s no secret that I love to read books about writing because I’m lifelong student of the craft. I also love to read autobiographies and memoirs because I like to get to know people that I’ll probably never get the opportunity to meet in real life.

If you read Stephen King’s book On Writing (read my review here), you’ll get both. I remember reading Carrie, Cujo, and Pet Sematary and wondering who could create such horror and suspense. Now I know that and so much more.

Mr. King is one of those authors that you imagine has never had to struggle, so it was encouraging to me to read about his life, how he began writing, and how he keeps going. He’s human and has the frailties, emotions, and misgivings we all can succumb to.

I think about my own writing journey, and dream often of the success enjoyed by the most popular authors. I know that some people have a natural talent for writing, while others have to work harder. But I also know that we all have the same tools at our disposal to be the best writer we can be.

If you have trouble with punctuation, grammar, dialogue, setting, description, plot, or characters, there are several books, classes, and websites available to help you improve. It’s a matter of finding the book, class, or website that speaks to you, that you can understand. What works for one, may not be right for someone else.

Even the best authors have beta readers, proofreaders, copy editors, line editors, and substantive editors to make their book as flawless as possible. But the best authors also have learned how to use punctuation, grammar, dialogue, setting, description, plot, and characters so that their editors are only cleaning up minor errors. No publisher is going to want to work with an author who doesn’t learn from his or her mistakes, no matter how good the story is.

When you reflect on your own writing, think about what you’ve learned along the way and what more you can learn. If you were to write a memoir/writing advice book like Stephen King, what has your writing journey looked like up until now, and what do you need to master to be a best-selling author? What do you know that you can pass on to others?

 

Those questions make me sit up and pay attention because I always want to do the best I can and continually improve.