I know that this post is less than a year old, but I still think the infographic is pretty cool. Plus, I found a funny short video from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert that is worth sharing. No matter how far away the dream of successful career writing might be, Stephen King is able to invite us to the desk where we actually write.
I’ve blogged from time to time about the importance of Stephen King‘s On Writing. It is a funny, moving, flawed, and priceless resource for those who dream of having their journal sketches become hardcover books.
On Writing is one of the books that changed my life.
It is also, I think, a pretty good resource for anyone who taps out their living on a keyboard–from storytellers to journalists, from preachers to teachers, from bloggers to speechwriters, from scholarly researchers to policy writers.
In preparing for my previous post on Stephen King and Danse Macabre I stumbled across this poster. Though it has the kind of professional staleness you’d expect from a publisher–boy, I’d love to see a good edgy graphic novelist or digital designer get ahold of this book–I think it is a great reminder of some of the bright practical points of On Writing. It wasn’t these 14 things that meant so much to me but the book as a whole, warts and zippers running up the back of the monster’s back and everything. But I rarely forget these 14 points, which make a great addition to the writing rules from L.M. Montgomery, Olivia Butler and Robert Heinlein that we’ve already discovered. It’s true, these are all writing hacks compared to many other elegant writers of writing books. Still, you know who I am talking about, and I think these rules go a long way to transcending genre and the limitations of labels.
I hope this little post from A Pilgrim in Narnia helps you along your way, whether your destination is the bestseller shelf or the bargain bin, the lectern or the pulpit, a product user or the legislative assembly, your little writing circle or the entire twitterverse.
Thanks for the post…what a book! Yep, it has its flaws, like all books. The book influenced my first book in many ways. I picture King writing as ear-splitting fills the room.
Thanks Reg, he is influential to me too!
Prof. Dickieson,
I don’t if this is called for, or not, however I’ve made an attempt at trying to at least see if any of King’s writings can share any kind of thematic relation with the Inklings. To be fair, this is territory you’ve covered before. The only difference I can offer is to not the curious use of shared Renaissance symbolism between the work of King, and a lot of the fiction of Lewis.
https://www.scriblerusinkspot.com/2019/04/the-importance-of-imagination-stephen.html
The methods I’ve used in this piece are indebted, in large part, to the thinking of Mr. John Granger, even in those moments where I branch off on my own. I can’t say I know how much, or even “if”, I’ve uncovered anything new worth saying about one of the author’s old novels, yet I hope the effort was worth trying in some way.
Hi Chris, sorry, I have had this queued to read as soon as I can. I quite love the topic! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve enjoyed On Writing, too. His style is very accessible. I never fail to think of his picture of the muse in the basement when I get stuck….
Yes, the book is really important to me, that kind of thing helping me strike forward.
Now I need time!
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