One man . . . one word
Think. . . Stephen King’s On Writing made me do just that. Think.
For years I avoided reading it because it was written by Stephen King.
Never a huge fan of his books, I thought I’d give it a go because in the last week, this book came up, at least three times, in conversation.
So I overcame my unfounded aversion to the author and read his book, written after his horrific accident, in the quiet time it took for his body to mend.
What I liked was he didn’t give advice on what you should and shouldn’t do when writing fiction.
There was no how-to-write-a-story formula in this book. No magic fix.
There was plenty of insight though, from the snapshots of his childhood to the moving stories of the events that formed him as a writer.
He threw his first draft of Carrie in the bin. It was his wife who flicked off the cigarette ash and urged him to finish it. We never would have seen Sissy Spacek covered in red paint if not for Tabitha King.
I never knew Stephen King overcame an addiction to alcohol and cocaine. I never knew he knew so much about writing.
He admits there is magic in writing and a bad writer can’t learn to be a good writer.
His first real advice from an editor about a piece he wrote for the local rag was this –
‘Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right – as right as you can, anyway- it belongs to anyone who wants to read it.’
Powerful stuff. The book is funny too. So I’ve reshaped my thoughts on the man and that’s a good thing.
From now on when someone says to me, you just have to read this, I will.
Books to read before I die, I already have a list but I’d like to hear your book-to-read-before-you-die.
I promise I’ll read it
After all, a recommendation is important, if it touched you in some way, chances are I too will be touched.
At the very least, I’ll have a greater understanding of the person who said, you HAVE TO read this book.
Do it, I’ll read it . . . I’m excited already.
This man stood in Eastwood Mall all throughout the Federal election campaign. It was the marginal seat of Bennelong and the pollies were ever present. Everywhere I went there he was, with his little dog dressed in a frilly dog jacket, he was always wearing his sign ‘think’. The other side of the sign read – ‘imagine’. Hmmm….
