Now, if my memory serves me correctly, and that's a BIG if mind you, I'm certain I saw a Stephen King book based on his writing techniques, or somewhere along those lines, at a store or at the local library. I would've thumbed through it but I didn't have the time to. Since the dude has written a zillion books, finding this particular one on the net has proven to be like finding a needle in a haystack. I could be completely wrong, but I'm hoping he did write such a book because I'm very interested in learning how this genius writes the way he does, how he gets his ideas and so forth. Anyone know of this book?
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*snort* Is that what it's called?! What a clever name! LOL ...thanks for letting me know! 
*shakes head in disbelief that I would've forgotten a title as easy as 'On Writing'*
*shakes head in disbelief that I would've forgotten a title as easy as 'On Writing'*
I love it too. He has an interesting view of things. What a mind that man has!
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Amen. To be honest, I didn't really care for him until I read OW. I mean, I've always loved The Stand, Hope Springs Eternal/Shawshank Redemption, etc., but didn't think all that much of him. After reading OW, I have a much greater respect for him as a writer.
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Genius? *cough* Hardly. His writing skills absolutely suck but he can tell a story well. I have his book On Writing...check it out from the library don't buy it.
His writing skills definitely differs from most authors...I read in a book about writing, that S.K. refuses to use adverbs! I can't imagine a life without adverbs!
*sniffle*
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He also doesn't understand sentence structure and punctuation BUT you forget all that once you start reading. I've read Misery and The Green Mile.His writing skills definitely differs from most authors...I read in a book about writing, that S.K. refuses to use adverbs! I can't imagine a life without adverbs!
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I would have to disagree. There are some things he's a bit clumsy at, but his skills are top rate.
Take IT, for example. A long novel, told from multiple POVs, including the pov of kids and adults, moving back and forth through time over the span of many years.
Just to handle that type of thing and make the story comprehensible, much less good, takes immense skill -- it could easily collapse into a morass of unintelligible confusion. I certainly wouldn't even attempt anything that ambitious.
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I can't really speak to any of his other works. I have only read the three books so I will bow to your experience.
He doesn't refuse to use them. He rarely uses them. These days at least. His earlier writing is full of them. Check out something like Carrie, for example.His writing skills definitely differs from most authors...I read in a book about writing, that S.K. refuses to use adverbs! I can't imagine a life without adverbs!
Cheers,
Rob
Yeah. People whine about not having time to write all the time, or their circumstances not permitting, and this guy got run over by a truck. Still writing.
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There's no one I've read who can beat King (IMO) at the short horror story. Man scared the liver outta me. Not so much with his books... the only ones I've liked are the ones that feature a writer. (I wonder why?) Misery. The Dark Half (Home of the greatest one sentence paragraph chapter in history.) Secret Window. The Shining. Otherwise... I confess... I get bored.
The opening of "It."
It kills me when people say this guy has no skill.
The objective color expansion in this opening is far and beyond most writing.
It begins with a black and white newspaper boat, shifts to a blacked out traffic light and expands to a blacked out town, setting up an entire black and white scene into which he will drop colors with the next paragraph.
All while you follow a little boy running down the street.
I don't slobber all over every word Stephen King writes, because he has written his share of crap, but I will never say the guy has no skills or techniques.
It kills me when people say this guy has no skill.
The objective color expansion in this opening is far and beyond most writing.
It begins with a black and white newspaper boat, shifts to a blacked out traffic light and expands to a blacked out town, setting up an entire black and white scene into which he will drop colors with the next paragraph.
All while you follow a little boy running down the street.
I don't slobber all over every word Stephen King writes, because he has written his share of crap, but I will never say the guy has no skills or techniques.
I just finished reading On Writing.
Many of the advice he gives - like the 'no adverbs' - is not really new, but still, I enjoyed the book a lot. I was surprised to find he's not an outliner, but lets the characters take him where they want to.
I'm not really a King fan, having only read The Shining, but maybe I should read something else from him. BTW, I went on Amazon, and there's a biography about him that hasn't gotten any reader reviews yet, probably because it's brandnew.
Many of the advice he gives - like the 'no adverbs' - is not really new, but still, I enjoyed the book a lot. I was surprised to find he's not an outliner, but lets the characters take him where they want to.
I'm not really a King fan, having only read The Shining, but maybe I should read something else from him. BTW, I went on Amazon, and there's a biography about him that hasn't gotten any reader reviews yet, probably because it's brandnew.
Perhaps I am mistaken about S.K.'s refusal to use adverbs. Either way, I know I read something similar and was quite surprised afterwards. After learning this, I wanted to try my hand at not using adverbs in one of my brief stories and was quite surprised with the results.
Since I'm accustomed to modifying every verb I possibly can, writing this particular story without using a single adverb was like walking a tightrope 100 feet in the air without any prior practice whatsoever. After proofing and editing the story, and all that other good stuff, I read the entire thing without pause and formed an opinion.
Maybe NOT using adverbs makes for an overall bigger impact than using them at all. Or maybe if they're scattered here and there, they're more appreciated by the reader. Sometimes less is more, so maybe that's S.K.'s POV. Then again, maybe it's best not to know what goes on in his mind period. There's no telling what the man thinks about.
Since I'm accustomed to modifying every verb I possibly can, writing this particular story without using a single adverb was like walking a tightrope 100 feet in the air without any prior practice whatsoever. After proofing and editing the story, and all that other good stuff, I read the entire thing without pause and formed an opinion.
Maybe NOT using adverbs makes for an overall bigger impact than using them at all. Or maybe if they're scattered here and there, they're more appreciated by the reader. Sometimes less is more, so maybe that's S.K.'s POV. Then again, maybe it's best not to know what goes on in his mind period. There's no telling what the man thinks about.
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I read The Dark Half, not sure what line you are talking about, but he paints a very vivid picture of one particular scene and I've never forgotten it. I've also read The Shining... so good.
I was about to mention this one. I've only read about it on the net. Is this a book on writing too? Although I'm no fan of King's literature, I loved On Writing and would consider getting Danse Macabre too if there are any nuggets of gold to find within the pages?
I think he is absolutely top-notch. It blows my mind every time I read a King book. His skill with characters is unparalleled. I would say 'genius' fits...at least from the perspective of 'writer'. I feel like I learn from him every time I read him.
I have it, but I haven't so much read it as read parts of it here and there. It was published back in 1989, I think. It mostly take a long look at the horror genre and suggests that there's much more to horror than just the thrill of being frightened vicariously in the back of a darken movie theater.
If you're someone who enjoys or writes in the horror genre, it's probably well worth having. Possibly for science fiction writers too, since many of his examples are what's considered science fiction. For example, he starts with a description of going to the movies in the late fifties to watch Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, and having the movie interrupted by the theater manager who informs the audience that the Russians had just launched Sputnik. He then goes on to talk about The Day the Earth Stood Still, a movie well-suited to its time.
Does it have a lot of helpful and specific ideas on writing itself, such as On Writing? I don't think it does, but again, I didn't read the book from cover to cover.
I read Danse Macabre. I enjoyed it. It's not so much about writing as it is about the genre...but it is worth reading and does give some insights into writing. If you like the genre, you would probably find it quite fascinating.
I've read quite a few of his books - The Dark Half, Carrie, Lisey's Story (*shudder*), Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Bag of Bones, Rose Madder, etc. Sadly, I'm not a big fan of King's work, but I respect the guy. I think On Writing is fantastic and recommend it to everyone. For folks like me, it makes clear why I don't like his style very much, which was invaluable. ^_^
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